The Transfer
by Nox and Indigo
Summary: Akane Mikoshiba had been the pride of Mahoutokoro School of Magic... until she was caught with dark magic at hand. As punishment, she was sent to Hogwarts to complete her education. There, she meets Blaise Zabini, a vain, shameless flirt. He and Akane don't get along, that much is obvious. Yet somehow, the two end up in the same infuriating orbit. Slow-burn. Blaise/OC.
1. Chapter 1: The Train Ride

Disclaimer: All of this belongs to the wonderful J.K. Rowling except for Akane Mikoshiba and the wild events that these characters encounter.

Warning(s): Language, Slytherin sass, and Pansy Parkinson.

* * *

The train station was busier than usual, which brought a scowl on Blaise's face.

"This is bloody disgusting," Draco spat, hands curled into fists around his suitcase handle. "You'd think they'd pick a better day."

Blaise sighed. "Only two years, Drake."

"That's too long." Draco shook his head and shoved his way through the crowd, down along the side of the train. The entrance to the Slytherin car was coming up, but it didn't feel like the two boys could get there fast enough. "I told Mother we were leaving _early. This is not early._ Look, the entire sodding Weasley family is here. I _said-"_

Grunting, Blaise roughly shoved his friend into the doorway of the train car and Draco stumbled. The blond dragged his suitcase behind him, chin held up high and eyes narrowed. Blaise followed, a sway of swagger in his gait.

"And! For Merlin's sake, all the good cabins are taken. _Unbelievable-"_

"Would you ever consider, oh, I don't know, _shutting up?"_

Draco frowned and shot a glare over his shoulder. "I do not _need_ this kind of attitude from you, Blaise."

In silence, Draco continued shuffling down the narrow path. Towards the end of the car, he paused and peered into the window of the cabin door, then threw said door open with a flourish. Inside sat a chatty Pansy and a silent Theo.

"Draco, you _prick-"_

" _What now, Pansy?"_

"You _said_ you would write me back and send that necklace your mother told me about at brunch-"

"What are you _talking about-"_

"Merlin," Blaise grumbled, sitting down next to Theo and stretching his legs out. They weren't even at school yet and already Pansy was starting inevitable drama, and like the overactive prick he was, Draco took the bait. And the two continued to bicker- not the fun, flirty kind- until the train gave a warning whistle and the wheels gave an abrupt jolt. Both teens jostled and Pansy was the first to fall onto the seat.

"Sit down, Draco, you're making me nervous," Pansy stated.

Draco frowned at the girl and sat.

It was going to be a long ride.

* * *

It was a long ride.

About halfway in Theo abandoned Blaise to go change into his school robes, and right at that time Pansy decided to pipe in with yet another unappreciated topic.

"So," she began, a slow drawl, and Blaise mentally braced for impact. "I think I'm going to try and hook up with Adrian Pucey this year."

"Did you not already?" Draco asked, bitter. He had his arms crossed, mostly peeved by the candy trolley lady's blatant ignorance of him. She steered her cart right past them and the blond didn't get a chance to pick up some candy.

Big whoop. Blaise didn't care. In fact, why did Draco? As Pansy stated earlier, the blond was "acting like a petulant child and Draco, it's _very_ unbecoming."

"No, I haven't. You're thinking of Marcus Flint."

"Merlin, _why,"_ Blaise groaned. Across the cabin, Draco gave a slow blink and a sneer of disapproval.

Pansy shrugged. "He's a good Quidditch player."

" _That's about it-"_

"But!" Pansy interrupted, and Blaise gave a sigh. "I want to know who's on your guys' list."

Draco snorted. "What, to shag?"

Shrugging again, Pansy offered the two of them a sly grin. "I know Blaise has one."

"Dunno," Blaise grunted. It was true: he had sort of build up a flirtatious reputation around school. Sure, he's had his fair share of upperclassmen, underclassmen, and simply _classmen_ \- peers, his mind shouted, sounding oddly like Theo- and it wasn't hard to _get_ them, wrapped around his finger. And it wasn't a secret either, his reputation. "I don't have one."

"Yet," Pansy supplied. Then she whipped around and turned her burning gaze on Draco. "How about you, Drakey-poo? Going to finally have that wand battle in the lavatory with Potter, hmm?"

" _For Merlin's sake Pansy-"_

"You're denying it-"

"Of _course I am-"_

Theo came back right then. A silent, almost graceful force, he was. He slid into the room and sat down beside Blaise without a word, only sparing a glance at the arguing duo. Blaise appreciated Theo. He was a good guy- no matter how downright shitty his father was- and he was smart, too.

And quiet. Blaise did like quiet.

Blaise often wished Pansy learned the art of quiet. Draco had an understanding, but once provoked, he became loud and angry. Not wanting to deal with this any moment longer, Blaise grabbed his school robes and slid out of the cabin with a grunt that sounded like "gonna change" and made his way toward the lavatory.

* * *

The rest of the train ride passed in a loud blur, and Blaise actually prayed to Merlin once it was over. As much as he loved his friends- not really- they sure did creep on his nerves more often than not. Usually he and Pansy tag-teamed tormenting Draco, but the girl had an extra ounce of evil in her eye that day and Draco seemed whinier than usual and _man,_ Blaise hoped this year would be better than that sodding train ride.

They traveled in a close-knit pack, hopping onto one of the thestral carriages with the Greengrass sisters and Pucey. Pansy insisted they wait for Millicent, but the girl was lagging behind with Tracey Davis and a few other students, which caused Draco to insist they leave her behind.

"Besides," Draco had said. "If you really wanted to see her, you should have found her on the train."

Pansy pursed her lips and pretended Draco hadn't said a word.

The Slytherin train car was towards the very back of the train, with the only car behind it consisting of luggage and so-called "professor space." Thus, this put the entire Slytherin house at the back of the line, which was all fine and dandy until it was time for the students to enter the Great Hall.

Blaise could picture it now. All of the other students, excitement and cheer evident in their voices, pouring into the Great Hall and sitting at their respective tables. The Hall fills up and an empty table awaits, leaving a thin stream of Slytherins to trickle in rather awkwardly. It's happened before and Blaise is ready for it to happen again.

(Cue an uncomfortable flashback back to third year when this _did_ happen, and Blaise was feeling awkward enough with his growing spurts and occasional acne and cracking voice, and he had to go through _that,_ wedged between Pansy and Goyle as they sat down at their table in a near single-file line. It was _awkward_ and _terrible_ and Blaise would rather not do it again.)

It wasn't as awful this time, but he could feel the watchful eyes of the first years waiting outside of the Hall as the Slytherin group walked past. He knew what they thought. It didn't help.

Once again, Blaise found himself preparing for disaster.


	2. Chapter 2: New Girl

The plain robes fitted loosely and as she looked at the mirror, a scowl formed. But she couldn't be angry, after all she knew what she had been doing.

The once magnificent golden hues of the robe she once wore proudly, now an ugly gray. The very same gray you'd find on an old woman's scalp.

She knew what she did was considered 'wrong' by Mahoutokoto's rules, but how could trying to understand the unexplored be considered 'wrong'? She knew that it had taken some sneaking around and lock picking to discover the old scrolls hidden in the headmaster's quarters, but it meant that it was even worth more than she'd imagine.

Spells that could kill with a single word, potions that could make anyone fall in love without needing to be digested, even objects that could make a person live forever.

To Akane, it was worth it. To discover that magic could be used like this made the cost of her honor pale in comparison. Sure, she'd miss playing with the Toyohashi Tengu as their chaser or gossiping over soft mochi with Yuko. But with the chance to learn more about these arts under the un-watchful gaze of Dumbledore, it was an opportunity she couldn't let pass.

"Mikoshiba," Snape drawled. "The sorting will begin soon, it'd be best to hurry."

"Thank you, Professor." She replied with a light accent. Polite, she reminded herself at his rude state of address. "I shall be there promptly."

Akane watched as he hummed and slid out the door, Probably with the help of his oily hair. Standing in her new black loafers she began her journey to the Great Hall where all the other beginners stood. Each of them walked as their name had been called and it felt like years before the last boy sat on the stool.

Then the old woman called, "Akane Mikoshiba."

Walking proudly as she once did in the halls of Mahoutokoto, she then sat herself onto the stool and waited until the old talking hat did it's job.

"New here? I see," it began cryptically while digging into her own mind. "Stealing scrolls? I wonder why… Out of knowledge? Is that what you seek? Material for Ravenclaw, most definitely! But wait! I see something else, something more. Something cunning and clever in the way you achieved this… Knowledge. Slytherin I would say, but your craving for material is almost enough to be Ravenclaw indefinitely but that something isn't something I can ignore… Slytherin!"

The thunderous applause continued on as it did before for the other students, but this time she felt out of place. In Mahoutokoro she knew everyone on a decent level, enough so that she'd be able to make friends with most of them quite easily. But here was different. These people were vastly different from the people in her old school. They don't hold the same beliefs, similar ideals, language was an issue, and their cultures would clash.

"Hey!" A girl loud girl called out to her. "Over here, sit with us. Move it," she sneered at a few kids younger than herself. "My name is Pansy, Pansy Parkinson. And this little sod over there," she pointed a boy with albino-like hair. "His name is Draco-"

"I can introduce myself just fine, Parkinson." Albino-Draco, said. "My name is Draco Malfoy, from one of the prestigious twenty-eight pure blooded families around here."

"Theodore Nott," one of the other boys spoke with a nod of acknowledgment and that left the boy with the dark features.

"Blaise you arse," Pansy scolded. "Don't just sit there and brood like some sort of troll. Introduce yourself."

"Merlin, Pans- Hi, I'm Blaise," Blaise offered a wave and a weak, semi-forced grin. "Blaise Zabini."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," she smiled with false sweetness.

"So your name is Ak-Aka-"

"Akane," She replied to Pansy's attempts in order to pronounce her own name.

"Yeah, that. So where you from? It's not often we get new students in the sixth year," Pansy leaned closely as if to hear every word that might spill from the other woman's mouth.

"Pansy, if you get any closer the girl's gonna think you're a dementor." Draco stated.

"Draco," she scowled. "Look, Potter's over there if you need a quick shag."

"And… Wait, nevermind. You'd sleep with anything that lives and breaths." He shot back.

"I bet you could convince Weasley to share Potter-"

"Do they argue this much?" Akane whispered to Blaise.

"Normally," he shrugged.

"Why are they even friends then?"

"Their parents pushed them together."

"I don't mean to be rude, but why are you two friends with them?"

"It's not like either of them have much of anyone else."

"So it's a pity thing?" Akane continued to question.

Blaise gave her a look. "I wouldn't say that."

"Then what is it?"

"You sure are a nosy one," Blaise cocked a smirk. "It's a wonder you weren't put in Ravenclaw."

"Hm," she thinned her lips. "Curiosity is a decent thing you know."

Shrugging, Blaise pushed food around on his plate with a fork. "Sure it is."

"Hm," she observed the way he avoided his own food. "Are you ill?"

"What?"

"You're not eating," she pointed out.

Blaise stared at her calculatingly. "Sure I am." He pointed at her plate. "You're not eating much, either."

"Given I've just sat down," she smirked. "They say Slytherin has students who are cunning and clever, yet your excuse is one I would expect from a Hufflepuff."

"How would you know?" Blaise nearly spat. "You, again, just sat down."

"I see," she looked at the fuming boy, then to the pair who were still in a heated argument on who was the bigger slut. She turned to Theodore Nott and spoke. "Again, it was a pleasure meeting you Mr. Nott. But I think I'll retire early for the night. Do you know the password to get in?"

"Basilisk," he replied shortly.

"Thank you, and" She looked at the boy who still sat down. "Good night."

As Akane left the hall, she had drawn attention to herself in the worst of ways. It hadn't been more than ten maybe fifteen minutes after the sorting and most of the others were still meeting up with one and other. She on the other hand, was the only one walking out of the large double doors. Peeved at the boy who was decent one moment and defensive the next. Are all people here so short fused? She recalled Draco and Pansy's spat.

"Hey!" A different voice called out to her in the hallway she had been walking down. "Hey, um, Miss?"

She turned to see a boy glasses running towards herself and tried to put her own anger to rest. "Can I help you?"

"Hi," he breathed slightly heavily. "I'm Harry."

"Akane," she shook his hand in typical Western costume. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Harry said. "Do you know where to go? I mean to your dorms?"

"I, no. I just," she looked back to the doors of the hall. "I am tired."

"Uh huh, okay. Well I can help you, if you'd like?" He smiled kindly but unsurely.

"How do you know where it is? You're tie isn't like mine," she inquired.

"Uh, yeah. I'm actually in Gryffindor, but I know where the Slytherin Dorms are."

"Oh, thank you."

"It's no problem," he began to lead her to the dungeons. "I just hope you don't think all of us are like that."

"Like what?" She wanted to hear his view on the matter.

"Like we have our heads stuck up our arses," he frowned.

"I see."

"So what's your schedule like?"

The pair's typical school pace became more leisure like as they spoke. Akane realised that Harry was good company calm and collected. She even found out that he had been in love with a girl named Hermione, not directly but through the way he described her. Then he expressed his fondness over a friend named Ron.

"Do you play quidditch here?"

"Play it? I almost live it," Harry smiled brightly.

"What position?" Akane looked at him with genuine excitement. "I played chaser."

"I'm the seeker for Gryffindor. I've done it for a while, since first year actually."

"Impressive," she mused. "Since your first year, how old were you? Eleven?"

"Yeah, it was an accident actually. It was during a broom riding lesson and Malfoy took something, I think it was a remembrall from Neville and I was the one who got it back for him after that prick thru it."

"Courageous, no wonder you're a Gryffindor."

"What's that supposed to mean, Slytherin?" He joked.

"Nothing," she smiled.

"Sure," Harry rolled his eyes. "Have you ever played on a team before? For quidditch, I mean?"

"Yes, I did. It was Toyohashi Tengu, you know from Japan?"

"Toyohashi… Wait a bloody minute, you mean to tell me that you're a chaser from Toyohashi Tengu?"

"Yes?"

"That's the best team around the globe, you have to be joking."

"No, I'm not. Why would I?"

"I can't believe it, you're more a celebrity than Krum is."

"Krum? Victor Krum you mean?" Akane supplemented.

"Yeah, did you play against him?"

"We did, once. It was a good game, he almost pushed me off of my broom when he was pursuing the snitch. But after the game he apologized for it, a good man he was."

"Really? He almost pushed you off?"

"Yeah, apparently the snitch liked to hover around me. Tomoda had to tell me that," she frowned at her observancy skills.

"Tomoda Katsushi? You knew him?"

"Yes, we actually dated for a few months but decided it'd be better to be friends instead."

"Wow," Harry smacked the top of his head. "I can't believe you were apart of the Tengu and even dated the Tomoda Katsushi."

"Well you should," Akane continued to step down the stairs that led to a drafty area.

"Hm, well we're finally here. Do you know the password?"

"Basilisk," Akane said out loud and the passageway opened up. "Thank you, Harry."

"It's no problem, besides I'm pretty sure we're friends now anyway. I can't wait to tell Ron," He smiled. "I'll see you later?"

She then nodded with a smile of her own. After a wave goodbye she entered the common room and the passage closed itself. A first friend, she rejoiced inwardly. Then looked up to see that there were two staircases, one for girls and the other for boys. But which was which?

"Potter, really?" A familiar voice questioned.

"Pansy?"

"You left us for Potter? Really Mikoshiba?"

"What's wrong with that?"

"Honestly, Boywonder?" With that Parkinson continued to rant about Harry's long list of nicknames and how he didn't even deserve half the attention he gets. Somewhere along the line, Akane decided that it was best to slowly evade the girl by taking steps towards one of the staircases. Didn't matter which one, as long as it got her away from this howler.


	3. Chapter 3: Impressions

Akane's persistent questions about his eating habits left Blaise in a rather foul mood. Pansy didn't make it any better, and Blaise praised the deities the moment she left.

He, Draco, and Theo hung behind and finished their meals in silence. Blaise wanted to say it was awkward but it wasn't. But as soon as dinner ended, Draco stood up rather abruptly and jostled the table. Blaise glanced up.

"I'm going to go practice quidditch," he declared, like Blaise cared. Theo looked up at Draco too and raised a curious brow.

"Now?" Theo asked.

Draco nodded resolutely. "Yes, now."

Blaise blinked. "Sure, Draco, I knew you were rather eager to get some wood between your legs but-"

A pale hand whacked Blaise's shoulder. "Shut up, you. Theo, are you coming?"

Theo stared at Draco for a few moments. He set down his fork and wiped his hands on his napkin. "Well, I suppose I am."

"Really? When did you start playing quidditch-"

But Draco was already walking and Theo was following behind, struggling to keep up with the fast-paced blond. "Bye, Blaise," Draco waved over his shoulder. Blaise stared after them in disbelief.

He glanced up and down the table. Most of the other Slytherins had left, and the Great Hall was emptying rather quickly, so Blaise gathered himself and left.

The walk to the dungeons was long and the closer he got to Slytherins' realm, the darker it got. Students lingered in alcoves and against the cool, dark stone walls. Once he approached the common room entrance, he uttered the password and pushed the door open, and was instantly bombarded by Pansy.

"Zabini! That new girl is sketch. I saw her talking to Potty boy," Pansy blurted, her hands reaching to grab at his shirt. He dodged her grasp and sidestepped the girl, pace quickening to the dorms. He didn't really care about who Akane was talking to. The girl was new. She would learn the ways of this school in time. "Blaise! Come back here! And where's _Draco?"_

Only Pucey stood in his way, coming out of the dorm hallway with a large grin on his face. "Zabini! Are you playing quidditch this fall?"

Blaise stepped up beside Adrian and shot a glance at Pansy out of the corner of his eye. The girl had luckily gotten distracted by Bulstrode, but it wouldn't be long before she tried to pester him once again.

"Dunno, maybe," Blaise shrugged. "Check with Malfoy. Bloke already went up to the field to practice."

" _Really?"_ Pucey beamed. "Fantastic! I'll have to ask him."

Before Pucey could say any more, Blaise pushed past him and beelined for his dorm. He threw the door open, slid inside, and let the door slam shut. He could hear Pansy's sharp screeching from outside the door, and he grimaced. He took a deep breath and-

"Blaise?"

He whipped around, dreading more annoying company. He couldn't help the frown that threatened to form on his face. "Yo, Akane."

"Am I in the wrong dorm?"

He glanced around the dorm, eyes focusing on his suitcase, Draco's suitcase, and Theo's stack of books. "Yeah, believe so."

"But how did I get in if this is the boys dormitory?" she wondered, fairly perplexed.

Blaise shrugged. "Magical mystery, I 'spose."

"I see, well excuse me." She made her way to move past him while pushing down her own embarrassment.

He watched as she left rather dispassionately. Once she left, he made way for his bed and got ready to sleep.

It was going to be a long year.

* * *

The next morning brought about a series of hijinks no one asked for.

Especially Blaise.

Pansy, still outraged by Akane "being in cahoots with Boy Wonder," started up an angry rant the moment Draco sat down at breakfast. Being ambushed put Draco in a bad mood, and the blond glowered at the girl until she finished her tirade.

"Are you sure you even _saw_ Potter?" Draco asked, arms crossed. "I know how much you like him. It wouldn't be surprising if you hallucinated him-"

"I do _not!_ That boy is-"

Draco held up a hand to shush Pansy, and she nearly exploded until he pointed at a spot behind her. The girl whirled around, eyes widening at the sight of Akane herself plopping down next to Potter and the Potty Crew (copyright waiting, or so Pansy said) at the Gryffindor table.

"Bloody hell," Draco faux-gasped. "You were right, Pans."

Pansy bristled. "Of course I was!"

Blaise exchanged a look with Theo, who was watching the interaction with disinterest. He had to admit, it was surprising that the girl would so readily approach the Gryffindor table after being sorted into _Slytherin._ Her inter-house friendship must've had the Hogwarts administration jumping for joy- metaphorically.

"Well. It seems the weak are already sorting themselves as such," Draco commented dryly. He took a large bite of what looked like a pancake and glared across the hall.

"Are you sure about that?" Theo asked.

Draco shot his glare at his "friend."

"Doesn't matter. She was nosy." Blaise observed the girl as well. She seemed to be conversing with the Granger girl as well, but Weaselbee still had that sour look on his face. "She asked too many questions."

"She's new," Theo reasoned.

"She asked _me_ too many questions," Blaise clarified.

Theo hummed.

"I thought she was alright until I saw her talking to Potter." Pansy set down her goblet of pumpkin juice. "I wonder why she came here, though. I don't think she ever said."

Draco frowned. "Dumbledore said she went to that Japanese school, right?"

"Mahoutokoro," Theo said.

"Well, yeah, but she's a sixth year. It's a little late to start at a new school, don't you think?" Pansy shrugged. "I think she's hiding something."

And there it was. The little uncomfortable headache that Blaise developed every time Pansy transformed into her gossip mode. He grimaced and once again, found himself bracing for impact.

Luckily, Theo only rolled his eyes, and it didn't seem like Draco was buying today. Sensing the lack of conversational participation, Pansy spun around and nearly shouted her conspiracies at the Greengrass sisters. Blaise sighed. Then he remembered.

"Oh, right," Blaise turned to the two boys sitting across from him. "How was quidditch practice?"

"Great," Theo replied. Was it sarcastic or genuine? Blaise couldn't tell.

Draco didn't dignify the question with an answer. Blaise frowned at the two, wondering what was up but not caring enough to pry.

So he turned back to the Gryffindor table, watching Akane out of the corner of his eye. She was smiling, and Granger was smiling, and so was Potter. Weasley still looked constipated, but not nearly as bad as before. Akane looked happy over there, Blaise thought.

Lucky her.

He continued pushing around his breakfast, only nibbling but not really eating. Draco and Theo were having some silent conversation with their eyes and a scratch piece of paper, probably scheduling more quidditch sessions for later. Crabbe and Goyle, down the table, shoved entire plates of food into their mouths at once. Pansy and some of the girls had started gossiping. Past the girls, a little further down the table, Adrian Pucey had a large scroll in front of him and was going to town planning out quidditch plays and team set-ups for the year.

Not feeling social, Blaise stood up and left for class.

* * *

First class of the day was Potions with the Hufflepuffs.

Blaise had nothing against the Hufflepuffs except for the fact that "the school's hottest boy"- courtesy of Pansy- was one of them. And his name was Cedric Diggory.

Cedric was a nice enough bloke. He was tall- not as tall as Blaise- and fairly good at quidditch- better than Draco, though the blond insisted otherwise- and smart- but no where close to the brains of Theo and Granger. Diggory, though, possessed "the looks of Adonis"- again, Pansy- and won the hearts of many of the girls- and some guys- at school.

And, admittedly, Blaise was a little jealous.

Blaise was a player. There was no questioning that. He saw and he seduced. He's had several girlfriends in the past and even more one night stands. There were people he knew that just needed a wink from him and they'd be at his beck and call.

But Blaise's fanbase was nowhere _near_ the virus that was infatuation for Cedric Diggory.

First class of the year and the guy already had girls swooning over him. He had been in a coma for a year, after the events of the tri-wizard tournament, but he had woken up over summer and was back and ready for class. However, because of the missed year, he was held back, thus putting him in the same year as Blaise and his peers.

"Alright, alright, settle down now." Slughorn entered the room at an ironically sluggish pace and made his way to the front, flipping through some pages of a large and dusty tome. "Today we will be creating Amortentia, one of the strongest love potions."

Already, girls were eyeing Cedric rather obviously, but the guy didn't seem to notice.

"Pair up! And be quick, we don't have much time to spare," Slughorn instructed, but any words he had left to say were cut off by the sound of scraping chairs and scrambling students. Draco pulled Theo to a table in the back, and Pansy snatched Daphne, leaving Blaise alone. He glanced around the room, astonished at the speed in which students had found their seats, and was about to ask Adrian who his partner was when Slughorn shouted across the room.

"Mr. Zabini! Yes, go join Miss Mikoshiba and Mr. Diggory, if you will."

Blaise internally grimaced, but he held his stoic expression as he strolled over to the unlikely pair. Akane greeted him with a small smile, but it was not returned.

"And Mr. Pucey, if you could join Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Nott?"

Adrian grinned wolfishly and made his way to the back where a scowling Draco and a nonchalant Theo were waiting.

Blaise noticed something. "Professor, Adrian and I-"

"No, Mr. Zabini. Groups have been made, and there are not enough tables-"

"But-"

Slughorn ignored him. "Alright everyone! Turn to page two hundred and ninety-two!"

Begrudgingly, Blaise opened his book. Akane and Cedric did the same, though they were sharing a book. Blaise frowned.

And from the back, he could've sworn an enthusiastic "So, I heard you guys were playing quidditch?" followed by a groan and a "Mind your business, Pucey."


	4. Chapter 4: Potions and Problems

She wasn't sure how it ended up this way. Well not entirely. Sure she had been sitting in class while the shortest professor she'd ever seen in the world had been speaking about the most powerful love potion. She scoffed at the fact that they were about to make it, on day one. Akane's doubt in the faculty continued as she heard the man speak about partners, and slightly ever so lightly. Most of the girls and a few boys backed up from their seats.

To partner with who? She didn't know. But what she did know is that she isn't the most gifted in potions, she was good but not great. _A good partner for potions,_ she wondered to herself. Seeing as the somewhat vampiric boy was the attention of over half the classroom she assumed that he was the best in the class. Therefore, she would be his partner.

But how? She had to ask. Hexes were too easy to be spotted and they needed verbals which would notify anyone immediately. Wandless was too dangerous because she hadn't mastered it yet, so how exactly would she be able to be his partner?

Then suddenly it came to her. She wrote down a note, knowing that this vampiric boy-Cedric Diggory had a reputation. A good one, in fact he was a 'good boy' through and through. That was why he'd been placed into Hufflepuff. A few notes later she had herself a partner. The Golden Boy couldn't refuse to help her after all 'she didn't feel comfortable with partnering up with her housemates.'

It had been a cheap cop out, but still it'd worked. Instead of attempted to brawl her way towards him, he simply waltzed his way towards her. Which was a funny scene seeing as everyone who was ready to pounce on him ended up in a pile on the cold floor. Slughorn snickered.

"Hey, I'm Cedric," the boy held out a hand.

"Akane," she smiled back ensuring that he'd be her potions partner from here on out.

"You're the student from Mahoutokoro?"

"Yes," she smiled at his pronunciation.

"Why did you move all the way from Wizarding Japan?" Cedric wondered but before he could Slughorn interrupted.

"Mr. Zabini! Yes, go join Miss Mikoshiba and Mr. Diggory, if you will."

 _Great,_ Akane thinned her lips. Now she had to be on her best behaviour, otherwise Slughorn will have a reason to watch out for her. Giving the short-tempered child a tight smile, she almost scowled at how rude he had turned out to be.

"Alright everyone! Turn to page two hundred and ninety-two!" Slughorn shouted.

Akane was flipping her pages, one after another and none of them read Amorentia. _Where could it be?_

"Akane?" Cedric asked.

"Yes?"

"Are you alright?"

"I can't find the page." With that Golden Boy took a look at her book and noticed that it was last years edition.

"You've got the wrong book," he pointed out. "We'll have to get you a new one at Hogsmeade sometime, but for now we can share mine."

"Thank you," she shot him a grateful smile while Zabini simply brooded in his corner.

Before anyone could delegate or even read what they needed, the young Italian man went to grab each and every strange vial and vine. Even a few things that moved around which made Akane's stomach want to summersault.

"What do we do first?" Cedric wondered out loud while looking at the book.

"Cut the mandrake's root into a fine paste." Blaise said while he prepared the cauldron.

"And then we have to coarsely cut the petals maybe into fourths," Akane said as she prepared the flower petals.

"Thirds would be better," Blaise cut in.

"Then what?" Cedric asked.

"Add the lavender wine, only a dash it says." Akane read outloud. "Then stir constantly clockwise."

Blaise then added some sort of powders and Akane finished it off with the petals as Diggory continued to stir.

"How much longer?" Cedric asked.

"Only a few more minutes then we should be fine." Akane replied reading word for word.

"One is good enough," Blaise argued.

"But the book said fifteen and he'd been stirring for thirteen already."

"No need to follow it word for word," Blaise shot back.

"Guys?" Cedric asked.

"Yes?" They chorused but then shot an unfriendly look at each other.

"Well done!" Slughorn popped out of thin air and smiled. "Now if you'd like, you could take a smell and it'd help to find your soulmate."

"No-"

"Blaise! Dear boy, you should show them how exactly you should do it."

"Professor-"

"No, no. Don't be bashful now, you see here Ms. Mikoshiba. Blaise here is one of the best potions students I've ever had. He's even in Slug-Club-"

"What?" Blaise blurted. "Since when-"

"Today!" He cheered, "You absolutely must, I saw how you and your group handled such a difficult potion. I must say that you are all invited to attend the first meeting of this October," he continued to jovily speak as if nothing were wrong.

"Slug Club? What is it professor?" Cedric questioned.

"My dear boy it is-"

BOOM

"Pucey, shut your bloody shiting mouth about quidditch already!" Malfoy yelled as they were all enveloped behind some greenish goo. Well except Akane and Pansy, for two different reasons.

Parkinson had used Daphne as a shield much to her friends anger, and Akane had just been in the right spot in the right time. Behind two tall males who seemed to be disgusted. Akane simply watched as her batch of amortentia went from a vibrant stream of colors to a strange blue.

"Professor?" Akane called out in worry, "what happens if it turns blue?"

"Everyone duck!" He screamed as their once perfect potion exploded in a different manner. This time more forceful, more impactful. This time around the glop hit everyone knocking them down in the process. If they weren't hit directly, then someone who was brought them down.

Akane groaned as she tried to lift herself up only to hear a groan beneath her and something heavy on top of her. To her surprise Diggory was hit directly and Zabini and herself lined up perfectly in order to get knocked down in a domino like style.

"Can you get off of me?" Blaise's irritated voice rumbled below her.

"I can't," she had a hard time breathing due to Diggory's weight.

"What do you mean you can't?"

"Exactly as I said," Akane tried to move into a more comfortable position which in turn caused him discomfort. "I'm sorry. I think, he got hit a on the head because he's not waking up."

"Ugh, of course."

"I'm sorry, it must be harder for you to breath." She tried to move her arms or legs but Blaise groaned. "Did I hurt you? I'm sorry."

He muttered that it'd be fine as long as she stopped moving. The pair had to wait for Slughorn or someone to move Cedric's body off of Akane in order for her to get off of Blaise, which took only five minutes yet it felt like forever. Once they were able to breath again, Akane saw that Blaise had a semi-flushed face and asked him if he was alright. He of course, still wasn't decent by any means and snapped at her. She recoiled slightly at the immense amount of anger he held that or something else, but she had other priorities.

Like to see if her potions partner would be fine or not. Although Blaise was a profound potions genius, Cedric wasn't a bad choice either. She watched as Slughorn called for cleaning spells and she could spot everyone's face. Although some, like Cedric, were directly hit meaning they'd be knocked out for a bit.

"Professor?" Akane called. "Should I bring him to the medical wing?"

"Ah, yes, Ms. Mikoshiba. That would be a fine idea," Slughorn then told everyone with an unconscious partner to do the same. One wingardium leviosa later, she had Cedric in a hospital bed. Madam Pomfrey fretted over the boy, but then realised he'd be fine. Madam Pomfrey then ushered her out of the room saying that she still had classes to attend. Which wasn't wrong, but still.

"Can I visit later?" Akane questioned.

"Of course dear, but right now he won't wake up for another two hours or so."

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey."

"No worries dear, now go to class." She ushered her out of the wing.

The morning passed with the end of potions and then transfiguration with Harry, Hermione, and their ginger friend. McGonagall spoke about the dangers of not having perfect pronunciation and that caution would be advised. Again they had partners, but this time it was whomever they happened to be sitting with at the moment. Unfortunately for her, it was the ginger boy. From what she gathered, he wasn't the most intelligent type but he was more brawn than brains.

Akane wondered what usefulness would he pose if she befriended him? She has her position almost cemented within their friend group, fondly named the Golden Trio. She watched as he fumbled slightly with every word of the tricky little incantation. The idea was simple, make the quill into a living breathing bird.

The pronunciation of the latin language was the real pain.

"Avifors," Ron repeated again and again. "Avifors!"

"I think you're pronouncing it wrong," Akane offered like a good transfiguration partner. "It's more like 'for' at the end. There is no 's' sound."

"Then why would they put a bloody 's' at the end?"

"It's ancient latin. Let me try it," she then repeated the spell and her quill became a small

Blue bird. "It's cute."

"Cute? That bugger? It wouldn't survive a day in the real world," Ron said jealously.

"Well I don't see your bird," Akane shot back.

"Bloody snakes, the lot of them."

"You're the one to speak."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Your attitude reminds me of a certain blond."

"Who? Pucey?"

"More like Malfoy," she drawled.

"Christ woman," Ron did anything but whisper. "I'm no Malfoy."

"He sure as hell isn't a blood traitor." The blond scowled.

"Could've fooled me." Akane frowned at how sour his attitude was.

"Bloody hell woman-"

"Mr. Weasley! Where is your bird?" McGonagall frowned. "If you keep this up, you won't be able to even participate in the quidditch try outs!"

That had caught Akane's attention. Quidditch. The game where she felt free when she played. After being scolded by the professor, Akane could care less about Ronald's temper. She was too preoccupied with the chances of getting on a quidditch team at this school.

Once class ended, she rushed towards Harry and Hermione's side with Ron trudging along.

"Hey," she greeted the pair.

"Hello, Akane." Hermione smiled.

"Hi." Harry nodded.

"Do you know when the quidditch try outs are?" Akane couldn't keep the eagerness out of her voice.

"Um," Harry scratched his head. "I think it changes for everyone. For Gryffindor, we have ours tonight, tomorrow is Hufflepuff, and then Ravenclaw."

"What about Slytherin?"

"Why the bloody hell would he know when the Slytherin's try outs?" Ron scrunched his brows, slightly perplexed as to why a girl. This girl, was so interested in quidditch.

"Ronald!" Hermione scolded.

"What?" Ron acted as if he did nothing wrong.

"Well," Harry thought for a second. "I think theirs is sometime during lunch."

"Now?" Akane whispered in horror. "What-Where?"

"The field, it's past Hagrid's cabin." Harry supplemented.

"Chikusho!" Akane swore in her native language. "I've got to go, thanks."

"Good luck!" Hermione waved her friend off.

"Why would you bloody wish good luck to a Slyther-Ouch! Bloody hell woman!"

Akane rushed as fast as she could to the dungeons to retrieve her broom, then flew to the fields as it would've been much faster. As she approached the field she saw that Adrian Pucey had changed from normal quidditch jock to a total dictator.

"Malfoy! What the bloody hell are you doing out there? I thought you were practicing last night with Nott? Zabini, what the sodd are you chasing? You didn't even get one quaffle through the hoop!"

"Adrian," Akane zoomed next to him. "I'm sorry I'm late, no one told me about the practice-"

"No."

"Wait-What?"

"You can't join, you came late. Tardiness isn't something that's tolerated," Pucey frowned. "Sorry Akane, but this year I want to win. And if that means making rules stricter and practice hellish, then so it is."

"But Adrian," Akane tried. "I don't you even want to see how I could offer-"

"I'm sorry," Adrian repeated, then barked out orders. "Malfoy! What the hell is wrong with you, you wanker!"

Then just like that, Akane Mikoshiba, the chaser for the Toyohashi Tengu, was rejected for a magical school's quidditch team.


	5. Chapter 5: Pucey and Petunias

Blaise did not feel bad in the slightest. Pucey was all fun and games until Quidditch season came around, which brought out a sort of rabid monster within the boy. It was almost alarming, but it won them games. That's what mattered.

Akane being late was unfortunate, but Pucey had a point. They needed to focus this year. Slytherin had to keep up its (recently nonexistent) reputation, and Pucey was going to make that happen.

He noticed the sulking girl walking off the field. He spared her a glance, only a glance, but it was a second he _didn't_ notice Malfoy flying straight at him. The two collided, both letting out foul curses and swinging out of control.

"Zabini, Malfoy, get off the bloody field! You two are taking a _break,"_ Pucey shouted, beckoning them down. "Get your acts together before I kick the both of you off the team."

"You aren't going to-"

"Hush! Sit on the bench with Nott." Adrian turned away and stomped off towards the new recruits, drilling them on skills and techniques. Draco let out a groan and made way for Theo, who was sitting on a bench in the stands, and Blaise followed.

"Fuck, Blaise, what's wrong with you?" Draco asked, once they were off the field and on the stairs leading to the bleachers. "You've been in a right foul mood all day and you haven't been talking enough. It's odd, and I don't like it."

Blaise shrugged. "I don't like her."

"Who? New girl?"

"Yeah," Blaise replied. "She said some stuff that got on my nerves."

Draco glanced back at him. They were standing on a landing between sets of stairs in one of the towers. "You? On _your_ nerves? Shit, what'd she say?"

"It doesn't matter," Blaise tried to brush it off. He took a step towards the stairs going up but Draco grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Clearly it does," Draco said, looking at Blaise rather intently. Blaise pushed his hand off. "Blaise, what?"

Draco was treading on some very personal territory that Blaise wasn't sure if he was ready to share or not. But this _was_ Draco, one of his best mates, who he could _probably_ trust with his life. This wasn't Pansy, or Daphne, or anyone else. It was Draco sodding Malfoy.

"Fine." Blaise gave in, rather reluctantly. "I have a, well, a thing. A, uh, _eatingdisorder."_ He spoke the words rather fast and they slurred together, causing Draco to stare at him for a moment, brows pulled together. "And she noticed."

Draco didn't interrogate him on the rather uncomfortable part- the _thing,_ Blaise means- but instead asked, "What'd she say?"

"Just asked why I wasn't eating much," Blaise said, voice unintentionally dropping. "It pissed me off, that she noticed."

"So you don't like her?"

Blaise shook his head. "No."

Draco hummed. "Makes sense." A beat. Draco started going up the stairs, and signaled for Blaise to follow. And that was it.

They joined Theo on the bleachers for the rest of practice, as Adrian didn't call them back down. He was too busy observing the newbies and screaming at them when they did something wrong.

Pucey must've been some sort of sadist. He was enjoying it too much. He was yelling left and right, arms flailing, fingers pointing. The whole sight was a disaster, but it still had Draco snorting every once in awhile.

"There he goes again."

Theo glanced down at the field. "He's like a Hitler, for Quidditch."

Draco let out a breathy laugh. "Yeah, he is."

Blaise snorted.

"Pansy's been more annoying this year, hasn't she?" Draco asked.

"It's been one day," Theo stated, shooting a glance at the blond out of the corner of his eye. "Not even, actually-"

"She has," Blaise agreed. "She was _screeching_ at me yesterday like some sort of bloody harpy."

"Still can't believe she got with _Flint,_ of all people." Draco grimaced and kicked at his broom.

Blaise smirked. "Would you rather she got with _you?"_

" _Fuck no-"_

"Then don't complain," Theo said, kicking harder at the blond's broom and causing him to drop it. Draco yelped and scowled.

"Fine. What's the next class today? Herbology, right?"

Blaise nodded. "With the Ravenclaws, yeah."

"Alright." Draco stood up and picked up his broom with a glare directed at Theo. "I'm going to grab some lunch before class starts."

"What," Blaise laughed, "No more quidditch practice for you two? Might as well, since we're still here."

This time, he was on the receiving end of glares from _both_ Theo and Draco. Grinning, he pushed past the two and led the way for the Great Hall.

* * *

Herbology was _not a bad class,_ or so he tried to tell himself. Multiple times, on repeat, during the walk to the greenhouses.

Professor Sprout was rather nice, and the class wasn't difficult, but there was just something about being in the Hufflepuffs' natural element that made Blaise feel like he was shopping in the wrong store, or dining with strangers. And even though he's had that class for five years already- this being his sixth- the feeling doesn't go away.

Draco, on the other hand, always had this odd belief that the Hufflepuffs were an inferior breed, and whenever they were in Herbology, he acted even more arrogant and superior than he already did.

It was not flattering.

"Today, we will be studying the Potted Pixie Petunias, a rare breed of cross-species flowers. Now, they may look innocent," Professor Sprout gestured to the several potted flowers around the classroom, ranging from pinks and purples to reds and oranges, "but they are rather fierce plants! They are called _Pixie Petunias_ for a reason, and if handled improperly, they will respond as such. So be careful!"

Blaise glanced down at the flora in front of him. He had been issued a wilting red flower, with spiking leaves. The blossom moved, too: its petals fluttered, and the stem twisted and turned in slow motions.

Draco was unimpressed, and he let his negative opinion show.

"These plants are rather _stupid."_

"They can't be, not if we're studying them." Akane observed her own.

Draco frowned at her. "Just because we're studying them, it doesn't mean they do anything important. Those blasted mandrakes from third year were more exciting than this."

"Those screaming plants?" She shuddered in disgust. "At least this one won't leave us with with that weird ringing sound after class."

"They're rare, Draco," Theo added, monotone.

Draco still stared down at the flower with contempt. "Sure, but-" He reached forward rather unabashedly and poked at one of the petals, causing the purple plant in front of him to shudder and pull back. "Look, see! It just-"

But the purple flower shot forward, and with it, a ball of purple glitter that burst upon Draco with impact. The blond bristled, now covered from head to toe in purple glitter.

" _Fucking hell-"_

"Language, Mr. Malfoy!" Professor Sprout admonished. She gave him a skeptical once over. "And here, students, is an example of what happens when you offend the Potted Pixie Petunia. Again, be careful!"

"Kami," Akane muttered, she and Theo moving back, watching the plant ready and willing to do something again. "Malfoy-"

"Shut up," Draco scowled. "This is unbelievable."

"Will your father hear about this, too?" Theo asked.

"Shut _up-"_

"Wow, Drake, the glitter really matches your eyes," Blaise threw in, snorting.

Draco was about ready to explode. " _Silence."_

But Blaise was on a roll. "Too bad you're going to _sparkle_ for the rest of the day."

"There's one class left-"

Theo grinned, a rare and pleasing sight. "You're going to shine brighter than the _stars_ in Astronomy tonight, you might just be asked to leave class early."

Draco blinked. "Was that-"

"Mr. Malfoy!" Professor Sprout whirled on him once again. "You're distracting the other students. I dismiss you, go wash off and _only_ come back if you're clean of pollen."

"This isn't pollen," Draco muttered, sourly. He gathered his items and jerked his head up, chin held high. The blond strolled out of the class with no more comments, silently fuming and most likely planning for someone's- probably Potter's- eventual destruction.

"Good riddance," someone down the table said, which garnered a few laughs.

"And Mr. Zabini, if you wouldn't mind," Professor Sprout started, and Blaise internally groaned. "Could you go check on Mr. Diggory?"

"Fine, fine," Blaise outwardly groaned, also gathering his items and following the path Draco had previously taken. Of _course_ it was him. It was always him.

At least he got out of Herbology.


	6. Chapter 6: Go Diggory!

As she watched Zabini leave the room she immediately raised her hand.

"Madam, can I go check on Mr. Diggory as well?"

"He doesn't need anymore flowers, I bet there's already a garden surrounding him." She replied.

"I wasn't going to bring him flowers, we were in a group during potions class. Cedric, Blaise, and I. I just wanted to see if he's alright now, since we're…" She looked at the mess Draco created. "Done."

"Well, I suppose. You might as well take your things as well, class will end soon."

"Thank you, Professor Sprout." With that she left for the long walk towards the hospital wing. She was fast enough to be able to see Blaise's figure in the distance, and if she really wanted to she could probably walk fast enough to walk alongside him. But then again, why would she want to do that? What was the point, the boy was more trouble than what he was worth.

As she entered the medical wing, she could see foliage surrounding a single hospital bed. She almost thought that a stray spell caused all of this, but no. It was all intentional. On one side she could see Blaise raising a brow at all the gifts Cedric received while asleep. Which had only been for a few hours.

"Zabini? What? Wait did you get all of these for me?" Cedric woke up, half joking the other half completely serious.

"Don't be daft," Blaise deadpanned, not at all impressed. "Sprout sent me to check on you."

"Really?" Cedric looked from left to right. "Akane!"

"Hello," she smiled while walking towards the pair.

Blaise watched her with judgment. "You again."

"I wanted to make sure you were alright," Akane spoke only to Cedric. "Madam Pomfrey sent me back to class, and during lunch there were things, but finally I'm here."

"Well that's sweet," Cedric then looked at the bundles of flowers around him. "What am I going to do?"

"Uh," Blaise glanced between the two. "Dunno. Make a crown. Am I still needed here?"

"Yes," Cedric turned to his fellow classmate. "I don't know what happened after that accident. Did anything important happen?"

"Um…" Akane shuffled awkwardly. "Blaise, I think you should explain."

"The two of you landed on me like three hundred kilograms of bricks," Blaise stated, holding his deadpan. "New girl didn't want to get up."

"Like I could!" She fumed back at him, done with his little charade. "You know as well as I, that we were stuck. It wasn't my fault-"

"Please, like you didn't want to be sandwiched between the two hottest guys at Hogwarts," Blaise scoffed.

"You think I'm attractive?" Cedric wondered wide eyed.

"No, no Zabini that is not how it went. Not even the slightest bit, I tried to move and get off of you but you kept on groaning like a baby and told me to stay still. That was your fault," Akane snapped.

Blaise ignored Cedric's awed expression and focused his ire on Akane. "If you weren't so bony, I wouldn't have said anything, but I'm pretty sure you were grinding or something-"

"How dare you disrespect my honor like that!" Akane was ready to hex the man. "What is with you and your short fuse? You get angry and cold every time I try to be nice? What is wrong with you?"

"Guys?" Cedric said in the background clearly attempting to breathe between the lines of tension.

But again, Blaise refused to cooperate, focusing on the wrong sentence. "Honor? That sounds like a reference to a _different_ saga about an angry bloke with a scar," he said, rather sarcastically.

"I would say that you just used a non-magical reference there, but I don't think your ego could accept the facts," she sneered.

" _Minotaur: The Last Horn-breaker?_ That's a magical comic, princess," Blaise countered.

"And if you did your research, it was based on a non-magical book published before _Minotaur._ "

"Cartoon!" Cedric corrected, but no one heard him.

"Sure," Blaise nodded, sarcasm game still strong. "If you say so."

"See? You can't even put down your gigantic pride complex you have in order to see the facts." Akane said.

"Whatever," Blaise huffed, shoving his hands in his pockets. His glare only grew sharper with each passing word. "Why do you even care?"

"How can you not?" Akane asked him trying her best to understand the hot head before she threw him off the Gryffindor tower. "Even if it's the smallest detail, how can you not want it to be exact?"

Blaise's brows pulled together. "What are you even talking about?"

"I've been doing my best to understand the people of the school," she said with a fair amount of bravo for herself. "Because pre-notions about everyone have been set in place, but does that mean they're true? I spoke to Harry and I know about the house rivalries. But that doesn't make a person who they are."

" _Harry,"_ Blaise mocked, then exploded: "You don't _understand._ You can try but you won't, and you probably never will. There are house rivalries for a reason. There are things going on here that you don't know about. I'm in Slytherin because _that's who I am._ I'm cunning! I'm mean! And I've accepted that! But you-" He snarled. "You aren't a Slytherin. Better go find that hat again, because this house isn't the one for you." And with that, he turned to leave.

"I would feel bad for him," Akane said loud enough for him to hear as he left. "But I'd much rather throw him off the _Gryffindor Tower_ because Harry gave me the password to get in the common room."

"When?" Cedric asked quite innocently. "I didn't know you two were close."

"Harry's a new friend of mine, and I'm almost positive if he doesn't get his act together and ask Hermione out soon, I'll lock them in a broom closet." Akane fumed a little. "I… Sorry Cedric. It wasn't supposed to be like this, I just don't get that arse."

"Huh, well I can see why you're not comfortable with your housemates. Most of them are pricks."

"Is that an insult or a compliment?"

"I was leaning towards compliment," Cedric smiled.

"Well, I'm glad you're alright, Cedric. But your Quidditch tryouts are tomorrow aren't they? Will you be fine?"

"Yeah, no worries I'll be fine." He continued his jovial attitude. "Do you like quidditch?"

"I love it."

"Then why don't you try out for… Nevermind. I forgot that they're pricks and you probably don't want to play with them."

"I did actually, that's what happened during lunch but no one told me. So I was late and Adrian wouldn't let me _try._ "

"Really?" Cedric was surprised by Pucey's surprising actions. "Adrian Pucey, right?"

"Yeah," she sat down on one of the many chairs. "I don't know what to do now, I used to play chaser for my old team now…"

"Would you like to play with us?" Cedric offered.

"What?"

"Play for us, Hufflepuff, that is if you want to."

"Is that possible? I thought we couldn't play for different houses if-"

"Well I'm team captain again," Cedric smiled. "And from what I know, I need another chaser around."

"Cedric, are you sure?" Akane looked at him with eyes filled with hope.

"Positive, but you'll have to pass the try outs first." He joked.

"Of course!" She stood up abruptly, "when should I be at the quidditch pitch?"

"After classes tomorrow," Cedric watched as she almost jumped with joy. "Who was on your old team?"

"My old team?"

"Yeah," Cedric investigated like a good team captain.

"Tomoda Katsushi, Kiku Hiruzen, Haru Nanase, Mikoto Yuzu-"

"Wait, aren't they from the Tengu?"

"Toyohashi Tengu? Yes," she nodded eagerly as she continued to list off names.

"You played with the Tengu? Wait-what?" Cedric looked at her wondering if this was some elaborate lie.

"Yes. Is it so hard to believe I was their chaser?"

"Akane… Mikoshiba… Mikoshiba! Bloody hell, you're Akane Mikoshiba!"

"I am, is that bad?"

"No, not at all. Merlin's bullocks, we're gonna win this year for sure." Cedric then did a very Slytherin styled smirk. "Those pricks won't know what's coming."

"Yes! We will destroy them all on the field."

"The house cup is so ours, Akane you're now an honorary Hufflepuff as far as I'm concerned." Cedric was about to stand up in excitement but Madam Pomfrey pushed him back down. Scolding him that he hadn't taken the potions that'll make sure he wouldn't have a concussion for the rest of the year.

"I'm so excited, thank you Cedric." Akane looked at the golden boy with a whole new light. _He truly does have a heart of gold._

"No problem, Akane." He gagged slightly on the last potion.

"What's your next class?" Akane asked in a happier mood.

"Care of magical creatures. You?"

"Same," she propped her arm out. "Shall we?"

"I don't have my things yet."

"They aren't those?" She pointed to a stack of books and a wand.

"How did they get here?" Cedric then read the note on top then gagged.

"What is it?"

"You don't want to know," he folded it back up but before he could put it away she snatched it. "Hey!"

"I hope you feel better Cedy, love Pansy." Akane read outloud.

"I told you that it wasn't pretty, but at least my stuffs here."

"Right, but what about these?" She gestured to the flower arrangements. "I don't think Madam Pomfrey would be pleased if we just left them here."

"Right." He replied equally perplexed.

"What would you normally do?"

"What makes you think that this has happened before?"

"Hermione and Harry told me that when you were in a coma, they had to give every patient in the hospital two bundles of flowers." She replied.

"Right," he clicked his tongue. "Would you like one?"

"What?"

"Well, I'm not going to throw them away. That'd be a waste, I was wondering if you'd like a batch before I give them to Professor Sprout."

"Uh, sure?" She then looked all the flowers with a different perspective. "But your admirer's will hunt me down if I take one, you realise that right?"

"I don't think they would… Then again, I don't know what exactly they do."

"Right, maybe you could just give them to Madam Sprout. I doubt anyone would attack her," Akane smiled at the sweet offer. "But thank you though."

"It's not a problem," he felt slightly dejected for some reason. "We should get going otherwise we'll be late." He then offered her an arm, much like how she was earlier. "Shall we?"

"We shall."

As the pair exited, Madam Pomfrey came out from behind the curtain smiling. Slightly hoping that they would become an item. _Go Diggory!_


	7. Chapter 7: Mend Your Broken Fences

It was Theo's idea to take divination. If Theo hadn't suggested it, Blaise would not have looked twice at the class on the elective list. But Theo did, which therefore permits Blaise to fully blame Theo for any shenanigans that happen in this-

"-rubbish class. I cannot _believe_ you made us take this-"

"It was a _suggestion,_ you didn't actually have to listen to me," Theo snapped. He cradled the teacup in his hands, sipping at the hot drink. "I would've been fine by _myself-"_

"You say that, but I've seen you. In Ancient Runes last year, when you were forced to sit next to Granger for that project," Draco said, gesturing at Theo with a wave of his hand. "You had that odd look on your face, like you were lost and someone threw a lemon at you-"

"What kind of expression is that?"

Draco shook his head. "I don't know. Look in the mirror and find out. Point is, you don't want to be alone, and honestly, neither do I-"

"Are you asking him out?" Blaise interrupted. Admittedly, he was feeling a lot better after talking to Draco, and even _better_ after he yelled at Akane. Thankfully, the girl had taken a separate elective, and was not in the room. _Thank Merlin._

He could've sworn Theo muttered something like " _about time"_ but his voice was too inaudible.

Draco continued, disregarding Blaise. "- and so that's why we're here."

"Don't tie me in with you," Blaise said, glancing at Draco. "You've got your own problems. I'm here because I want to be."

Not.

"Yeah, alright," Draco barked a fake laugh. "Drink your tea, then, divinator Blaise."

Blaise took a few final sips of his tea, revealing the tea grinds at the bottom of the cup. Theo finished not a moment later, but Draco still had more to go. Professor Trelawney hurried over, eyes wide behind coke-bottle glasses. As usual, she wore three layers too many, all different variations of purple and blue- her interpretation of the sky, if Blaise had to guess- and her hair flew frizzy and wild.

"Your tea is gone! Here, let me see. We will find what your future holds." Trelawney pulled Blaise's Divination book closer to her and flipped through the pages.

Honestly, the shape in his cup looked more like a blob than anything else, but the professor saw something else in its form. She found a page, hummed, and pushed the book towards him.

"This!" She pointed, and Blaise followed her hand. Alright, sure, the blobs resembled. "This here promises you an exciting love life with a special foreigner. Together, you will have your ups and downs, but you will prevail! The strength of your bond will surpass all! My dear boy," Trelawney took a breath and zeroed in on him, grabbing his face in her hands. "All it takes is a leap of faith."

"What-"

But she had moved on to Theo, sitting between the bewildered- and concerned- Blaise and the slightly flustered Draco. "What about you?"

Theo glanced back and forth between his teacup and his textbook. "I think," he started, then paused. "Well-"

"Here, let me have a look." Trelawney took the teacup out of Theo's hands and flipped through the pages of Blaise's book once again. "This. Right here, I see it! Your future holds an amazing journey."

A beat. "Is that it?" Theo asked.

"That's up for you to decide, my dear boy-"

Theo sighed. "Yeah, alright."

Trelawney set down Theo's cup with trembling hands and rounded on Draco. "You! I can see it in your eyes. You are troubled. Quick, let me see the cup!" She yanked Draco's cup out of his hands, much like she had done with Theo, and began flipping wildly through the textbook in front of her. Stopping on a page, Trelawney paused and gave Draco a look of sympathy. "I'm sorry."

"Why-"

"You're going to die alone," Trelawney announced, rather loudly, in the volume that most everyone in the class could hear. "That is, unless you fix your current relationship."

"Draco! You sly dog, here I thought you were single!" Blaise clapped a hand on Draco's shoulder and the blond flinched. Theo simply shook his head.

"I'm-"

Trelawney handed the cup back to him and picked up Blaise's book. "Dear boy, please mend your broken fences." And with that, she floated onto the next table, where an eager Pansy was waiting.

Blaise blinked. "She took my book."

" _What broken fences?"_ Draco hissed, mostly to himself, but his eyes flickered back and forth between his two friends. Theo shrugged, eyes dropping to stare at his own teacup.

Shrugging, Blaise said, "Maybe you broke them with all that quidditch you've been playing,"

" _Once! I used that once!"_ Draco hissed, again, scowling. " _Merlin!"_

In the background, Pansy was, yet again, screeching about something. Probably her unfortunate fortune. But the trio of boys tuned her out, two focused on their bizarre fortunes and pending problems, the third thinking about what he was going to eat at dinner.

* * *

Akane sat with the Gryffindors again, but she came into the Great Hall grinning up at the golden boy known as Cedric Diggory. The two walked up to "Potty and the Potty Crew" and started chatting.

Or at least, that's what it looked like.

"She's unofficially an official Slytherin enemy," Pansy declared, right before she sat down between Blaise and Daphne. "First, she talks to Potter, _then_ she ignores me, and now! Now, she's chatting up Diggory like it's no big deal."

" _Diggory,"_ Blaise sneered the name like one would the name of an enemy.

" _Potter,"_ Draco sneered, doing the same.

"Thinks she's all cool, being foreign and 'good at quidditch' and 'smart' or whatever. Puh-lease," Pansy groaned. "The girl's nearly as insufferable as Granger."

"I don't like her either," Bulstrode, sitting across from Daphne, piped in. "I heard she's not even that good at quidditch, and that Diggory invited her to play for Hufflepuff out of pity."

Pansy shook her head. "How did she even _place_ into Slytherin?"

"Perhaps she's got something under all those layers of nice?" Daphne suggested, while observing the girl in question.

"Maybe," Pansy said. She, too, glowered at Akane across the hall. "She still rubs me the wrong way."

Adrian waltzed into the Great Hall, hair windswept and robes wrinkled. Grinning widely, he sat down next to Draco and punched the blond in the arm playfully. "Mate! You made the team!"

"I knew I would-"

"All that practice with Nott is really paying off," Adrian continued, then looked at Theo. "Oi! What do you say, Nott? Want to join the team?"

"I missed try outs-"

"You used that against me earlier-"

Adrian ignored them. "And congratulations, Blaise! You, too, are on the team. As are you, Daphne!"

"None of this is a surprise," Pansy snapped, and Adrian frowned. " _However,_ did you hear about what Diggory did?"

"Stole a Slytherin to play for the 'Puffs? Yeah, I heard, and I don't like it," Adrian replied, shaking his head. "She didn't make _our_ team, but that doesn't give her permission to try for another. Bloody ridiculous, if you ask me."

Pansy hummed. "Would you dare say… desperate?"

"I would," Bulstrode agreed.

"To be fair, she's from Japan," Theo reasoned. "Things are different over there."

"So what?" Adrian asked. "Doesn't excuse everything."

"Japan… Aren't they good at quidditch?" Daphne then asked, "Who has the current quidditch world cup again?"

"Shite. Well, too late," Adrian sighed. "She was late to practice, and I told myself that I had to be strict this year, because last year was a _disaster-"_

"But didn't you just offer Theo a spot on the team? He didn't even want to try out," Daphne looked to Akane who seemed in an intense conversation with the Gryffindors.

"Yeah, but that's different-"

"Pucey, I've never played a year of quidditch," Theo said.

"But you've been practising with Malfoy-"

" _Recreational!"_ Draco exclaimed.

Adrian glanced between the two with a brow raised. "Sure, alright, whatever. Point is, she was late, and I don't condemn tardiness."

"Adrian," Pansy started, sickly sweet. "You were tardy to History of Magic nearly every class last year."

Pucey glared at Pansy. " _That_ is because I'd rather watch grass grow than go to that sodding class. And! It was right after lunch, and I always go practice quidditch during lunch!"

"Excuses, Adrian. All excuses," Daphne thinned her lips.

"I'm going to the library," Draco announced, standing up abruptly and nearly knocking into Adrian. "Theo?"

"What, are you going to play quidditch in there too?" Blaise smirked, and Draco scowled at him. "Be careful, Madam Pince likes the place organized. Don't make a mess."

"Dude, you can't play quidditch in the library, I tried last year and she kicked me out. I've been too scared to go back in since," Adrian said, conspiratorially. Draco just blinked and started walking. Theo followed behind.

"Enough of quidditch." Pansy waved her hand in dismissal. "Let's talk about something else."

"Did you really bring Diggory's things to the hospital wing?" Daphne asked her housemate seriously.

"Anything _other than that,"_ Pansy hissed, but under her breath she added, " _Yes._ I thought it would be nice."

Blaise deadpanned. "Fuck Diggory."

" _Blaise!"_ Pansy held up a hand to her mouth in mock disbelief. "Language!"

"No, really," Blaise sneered. "The bloke isn't _that_ great."

"What's wrong with him?" Daphne then scrutinized Blaise's insults. "More like what's wrong with you? Diggory's a nice guy."

Blaise huffed. "Too nice. It's fake. I don't like it."

"Get over yourself," Pansy admonished. "He may be a Hufflepuff, but Diggory is a gift to this earth."

Bulstrode grinned and joined in. "Some girls even say he's the son of Apollo, the son god-"

"How about you lot _get over yourselves?"_ Blaise shuddered. "Merlin, do you hear yourselves? You all sound like some cult."

"You're just jealous," Pansy countered, unintentionally striking a nerve.

Blaise grunted and ignored the girls for the rest of the meal.


	8. Chapter 8: Actual Quidditch

The dinner consisted of some roasted meats, standard potatoes, and a few vegetables. All which, quickly became very boring. The flavors remained consistent and never really changed from the night priors, and it was fairly similar to lunch as well. As Akane heard stories of the Triwizard tournament and how Krum was there.

"Akane," Harry called to her. "You should tell everyone how Krum knocked you off your broom."

"He did?" Ron asked as if it were scandalous not to tell him. "When did you ever fly with Krum around?"

"It was the world cup," Akane continued her story. "-And apparently the snitch just happened to stick around me long enough for Tomoda and Victor to fly close enough to me where it became slightly scary."

"Then what?" Cedric asked the girl.

"He didn't knock me off my broom like Harry said," she shot him a look. "But he almost did. He apologized though, immediately after the game."

"Wait, wait, wait." Ron was still taking his time to register what she just told him. "Krum plays for the Bulgarian National, they only went to the world cup last year with the Toyohashi Tengu… From… Japan…" His voice suddenly became awestruck. "You're-"

"Yes she is," it was Cedric's turn to interrupt with a fierce game face. "And she plays for Hufflepuff now."

"Harry, man. Why didn't you tell me that she was _the_ Akane Mikoshiba!" Ron angstead to his friend about his celebrity crush.

"What would you have done if you knew?" Harry asked while Hermione did raise a brow.

"I-I," Ron looked from his friend to Akane. "I would've recruited her for Gryffindor, that's what. We totally could've won again this year without a hitch, but now we actually have to watch for Hufflepuff."

"Smooth save," Harry whispered to Ron.

"You arse." Ron shot him a small glare.

"So Akane, you never told us why you moved from Japan?" Hermione looked at her mystery friend in wonder.

Akane knew she couldn't wiggle her way out of this but she couldn't tell them outright that she'd been messing with black scrolls. So she went to the next best truth, "Tomoda actually left me… He left me for a different girl."

"What kind of sod leaves a girl like you?" Ron clearly didn't think before he spoke, which earned an elbow from Hermione.

"Do you know why?" She asked, genuinely interested. Perhaps this knowledge could help her with Harry? After all, she hadn't the least bit of experience.

"Because he didn't like it how I played quidditch alongside him," Akane then quivered her lip because this part wasn't a lie. It was actually the main reason she wanted to be stronger than him and the only way to do that was to look through forbidden scrolls. "He said he likes girls who _act_ like girls, not like boys."

"That bloody shite," this time it wasn't Ron but Cedric swearing which made everyone stare in wonder. "Why?"

"It's an old stereo-type back in Japan." She replied.

"That's, that's absolutely preposterous!" Hermione yelled with fury evident in her eyes. "That arse!"

"I know," Akane then drank whatever was in her goblet. "I wish he could've told me before I wasted two years of my life."

"Two years you wasted on that insufferable git." Hermione's eyes could practically spit fire.

"I suppose, I should've noticed sooner." Akane whispered to herself more so than to the rest of the table.

"It's not your bloody fault he's a tosser," Harry piped in like a good friend. "Well it doesn't matter now, you're at Hogwarts. The best wizarding school in this country."

"Yeah, forget that daft sod." Hermione then leaned forward. "Tell me what he looks like, I'll make a spell just for you so that-"

"Hermione, that's nice of you but you don't have to-"

"But I want to, who breaks up with someone because their masculinity is at stake?" She argued.

"Tomoda Katsushi, that's who." Cedric mumbled. "Merlin, I looked up to that slag."

"Me too," Harry nodded with understanding.

"Ron!" A girl with a ribbon ran towards the boy in question while Akane heard everyone slightly groan. "Ron, oh you cannot believe it!"

"Believe what, Lavender?"

"So I was speaking to Parvati and Parvati was speaking to Cho and Cho said that she thinks that Cedric Diggory likes her!" Lavender gushed clearly seeing Cedric. "So is it true Cedric? Do you like her?"

"What? Who?" Cedric looked just as confused as he did when he woke up next to Blaise Zabini earlier that day.

"Cho Chang! Rumor has it that you never cleared the air after the Triwizard tournament." Lavender pried, which reminded Akane of Pansy.

"Cho Chang?" Akane asked the gushing woman.

"Yes, yes… Wait do you not know who she is?" Lavender looked at the girl then caught sight of the green and silver. "What is a _Slytherin_ doing here?"

"Lav this is Akane, she recently came from Japan." Ron tried to pacify the girl.

"That still doesn't explain why she's here at _our_ table." Lavender narrowed her eyes.

"I was invited," Akane spoke for herself.

"By who?"

"Does it matter?" Akane looked at Lavender dead in the eyes.

"Yes-" Lavender was interrupted by Hermione.

"Lavender, I invited her. We're friends," she spoke with the utmost confidence.

"Friends?" Lavender hissed, "With a snake?"

"She's not much of a snake to be honest," Cedric attested to her character. "More of a Ravenclaw."

"Still," Lavender snuffed Akane. "I don't think that she should still be here, what about you Won-Won?"

"We're friends," Ron replied semi-awkwardly.

"But earlier you were telling me how annoying she was!" Lavender sputtered, "During transfiguration!"

 _Oh,_ Akane thinned her lip slightly. _So that's how it was._ "I think that I'll go now," Akane stood up gathering her things.

"Wait, no I didn't mean what I said." Ron tried feverishly to get on the good side of his celebrity crush.

"Ronald!" Hermione elbowed him, hard, much to Lavenders distaste.

"Hold up," Harry got out of his seat and gathered his things as well. "I'll come with you, Hermione?"

"I will too," Hermione then scowled at Lavender. "I don't feel like sitting with someone who holds grudges over the silliest things."

"Wait up," Cedric followed along.

"You don't have to do this," Akane looked at all three of them. "You should still-"

"We're your friends Akane," Hermione said. "Forget Lavender, she's a bint as far as you should be concerned."

"Bint?" Akane asked.

"It's not a compliment," Harry tried to explain.

"Harry, when are your tryouts?" Cedric looked at him.

"Tonight, around seven." He replied.

"It's only six, would you like to get some practice in?" Cedric smiled but his eyes screamed competitiveness.

"You're on Diggory."

"Please, Potter. We'll see about that."

"They're at it again," Hermione sighed but this time with a small smile.

"Boys," Akane pushed herself into the middle. "Did I ever mention that I had the option to be the seeker for the Tengu?"

"Shite." Cedric clenched his teeth.

"Not you too!" Hermione cried out exasperatedly..

"Prepare to taste defeat," Akane ran ahead to retrieve her broom.

"Not so fast Mikoshiba." Harry bolted for his own.

"Why aren't you running?" Hermione asked the boy with the heart of gold.

"She's on my team, either way I win." Cedric smirked. "What?"

"You smirking, it's not something I'm used to seeing." She replied.

"Well, until your boyfriend finally gets it that Hufflepuff will have an undefeated year you should get used to seeing it."

"He's not my boyfriend!" Hermione cried out adamantly.

"Not yet," Cedric added.

The pair eventually met the other two on the field who already started the chase for the snitch. Wizzes of short messy black hair, which signified Harry, was closely tailed by another whoosh of longer black hair, which was Akane. Steep dives and inclines were enough to put Hermione's stomach on the edge, meaning she didn't care for the sport.

As Diggory became airborne and he became closer to the pair he could hear the flurry of insults they threw back and forth.

"Seriously Mikoshiba? I expected more from you," Harry almost had the snitch but she came up with a straight vertical incline ready to steal it. Unfortunately, she was fast enough to avoid a collision but too slow for the snitches reflexes.

"Come on now Potter, didn't Gryffindor win last year?" She sat stationary in the air, searching for the golden nugget.

"Diggory," Harry nodded to Cedric. "I see you've finally decided to join us."

"What do you mean? It's not my fault you two were more eager than hippogriffs during mating season," Cedric joked which made Harry splutter.

"What a dirty mind you have there golden boy," Akane was suddenly behind him, slightly spooking Cedric. "I didn't expect that."

"Well everyone's got their own share of surprises, eh Akane?"

"I suppose so," she stared into his unusual grey eyes.

Soon enough the snitch decided to show up and Akane reached for it the same time as Cedric. The pair almost fell but they were able to stabilize themselves.

"Oi!" Harry called getting a little impatient. "If you two weren't so busy flirting, I bet you'd have the snitch by now!"

"I don't see it in your hand Potter!" Akane yelled back.

"Careful," Diggory flew around searching. "She seems to bite."


	9. Chapter 9: Blaise Alone

Draco and Theo had been gone far too long, and Blaise was getting real sick of their dodgy attitudes.

Yes, they had only been at Hogwarts for twenty-four hours. But that's what made it worse. Draco and Theo were supposed to be his best friends, but where were they now?

In the sodding library, or so they claimed. Which, Blaise figured out rather early on, was a downright lie. He wandered into the library- alone- and went up and down some aisles, only to find several Ravenclaws and a few lost Hufflepuffs. No one exciting, and certainly no one with a green and silver tie.

So they lied. Blaise couldn't say he was surprised. They were Slytherins, after all.

The real question was: what were they up to? Part of Blaise didn't want to know. The other part did want to know, only because of how irritated he was getting with their behavior. Especially Draco. If Theo wasn't involved, Blaise could only wonder what kind of trouble the blond would have gotten himself in. Who knows? He could've become a Death Eater right under their noses.

Blaise snorted. Yeah, right. Draco, a Death Eater. Bloke wouldn't last a day.

He left the library and turned right, towards the moving staircases. It amazed him that from where he stood- at the top of the fourth floor staircase, away from the entrance to the main hall, where the stairs to the dungeons were located- he could hear Pansy's whining voice, jabbering about something else. Granted, he couldn't hear her words. Just her voice. It was very distinct.

Where would they go if they didn't want to be found?

Blaise knew his friends. As much as Draco liked his privacy, he was still one for dramatics, and would sometimes do things in pure spite of the risk or potential reactions. These include: yelling at people in front of a large audience, causing various scenes, disappointing his parents, and- Blaise's favorite- flouncing around the Astronomy tower when he's got something that's bothering him. Blaise has seen it. The Malfoy would lead him and Theo up there just so they could lean against the stone walls or railing while the blond vented about his multiple issues.

It was a lot less fun than it sounded.

Theo, however, was smart. He _did_ like privacy, and would go out of his way to ensure it. He was observant, and always on the lookout- both things he learned rather quickly being in the company of his temperamental father. If Theo wanted to hide, there was little to no chance of him being found.

Which essentially meant Blaise was screwed.

There was no doubt that Hogwarts was a big castle, which is probably why so many students were able to pull so many things off without ever getting caught. It was safe to say that less than half the castle was being used at any given time. With the entire third floor _still_ restricted, and with the whole "west wing being off limits," there was a lot of empty space for students to mess around in.

Not that many did. Once one reached a certain point in the castle, the paintings became scarcer and socialization seemed to dwindle. Blaise heard stories of a girl getting lost on the seventh floor and never being found.

Long story short: finding his two friends was going to prove to be a fruitless effort.

Blaise took a deep breath and spun back around, walking back into the fourth floor hallway. He made it not three feet before he bumped into someone roughly, and both figure stumbled.

"Geez." He blinked and found Weaslette standing in front of him, grimacing. "Watch it, Zabini."

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Blaise teased, immediately switching modes. "Running after your boyfriend Potty, are you?"

"Sod off," Weaslette snapped, pushing past him.

He suddenly had an idea. "Wait, Weasley."

She glanced back at him, auburn hair flying. "What?"

" _Are_ you doing anything? Now, I mean," Blaise asked, giving her a quick once over. Weaslette was fit. She had a much better attitude than her foul brother, and she had a nice face. Blaise could appreciate her feisty personality, and she made a great rival when it came to quidditch.

Would Blaise shag her, if given the opportunity?

The answer was yes.

"N-nothing, why?" She eyed him with skepticism. "What are you planning?"

"Shite, nothing, I'm just curious. Relax, would you?"

She crossed her arms. "That's a bold request."

Blaise glanced up and down the hallway. The only other being in their general vicinity was a ghost, floating away from them. "Fine, whatever. Do you want to shag or no?"

"What the fuck, Zabini-"

"I'm asking. I'm bored." He held up his hands in defense. "It's a question. Yes or no?"

Her range of changing expressions visually displayed her thought process, and for a while she just stared at him in bewilderment. "Are you sure?"

"What do you mean-"

"Fine," Weaslette huffed, like it was a chore rather than a _privilege_. "Lead the way."

* * *

They ended up finding an empty classroom on the fifth floor, in a deserted corridor.

It was… actually, not bad.

Ginny told him as such. "You're not bad for a lay, Zabini. Let me know if you want to do this again." And she left. And that was it. Would Blaise do it again?

Probably.

After putting himself back together and flattening his clothes as much as he could, Blaise made the trek back to the dungeons. It was a slow, leisurely walk that Blaise rather enjoyed, as he _knew_ that some sort of hell was waiting for him back in the common room.

Hell came early. He could feel the embers as soon as he made it to the third floor stairs and caught a glimpse of Akane, Potter, and Diggory zooming around on brooms out on the Quidditch field. Blaise sneered.

He continued to wear this sneer as the door to the common room swung open, and he found himself greeted by Pansy the Harpy- copyright pending- doing her usual rounds of screeching.

Luckily, she hadn't directly noticed him yet, so he slid against the wall like some sort of chameleon. The sneer faded, and when Pucey walked straight past him, making his own dart for the door, the sneer vanished completely. Blaise made it to the dorms completely unnoticed, and mentally cheered, just a little. He snuck into his dorm room and bam!

His mood was ruined.

First off, Draco and Theo _still_ weren't back, which begged the question: were they _actually_ playing quidditch? Did they get blown into the Forbidden Forest? Blaise hoped so, because that's the punishment they deserved for abandoning him for the second dinner in a row.

Second of all, Crabbe and Goyle had beat them all to the dorms, and were snoring like sodding beasts. There was no way Blaise was going to get anything done with this kind of noise, so he cast _several_ silencing charms over the two beds and hoped for the best.

Swiftly, he changed and sat down on his bed.

Was he glad to be back at Hogwarts? Yes. Was this year a little less great so far? Yeah, but again, it was the _first day_. Still. Somehow.

Summer was always long and a tad dreadful in the Zabini household. Not only did he live in one of the busiest areas of the country- _London,_ it had to be _London-_ he also lived in a very busy house. His mother smuggled men in and out like some sort of mass-cultural drug cartel and it was always a guessing game for him, trying to figure out what kind of man he'd have to put up with in the kitchen the next morning. Coupled with that, his mother's abundance of like-minded friends- some of which have flirted with _him_ \- and the extended Zabini family, people always seemed to be flowing in and out of townhouse that he and his mum shared.

It didn't stop him from feeling alone, though.

He used to visit Draco and Theo during the summers. But Theo's father was insane and a certified criminal, which made the Nott residence a difficult place to hand out. Each year that passed after Theo's mum passed, his father only seemed to grow more crazy and abusive. He would react over the smallest of things and Theo always had to pay the price. Luckily, because of Theodore Nott Sr.'s notorious reputation and his knack for crime, he visited Azkaban enough, one would think he owned a timeshare.

The Malfoys, on the other hand, were stern and judgemental people, and once Draco started going to Hogwarts, "playdates" turned into "business meetings" and visiting the blond at his own home always turned into some interrogation about future plans and heavy gossip in regards to social standings. Draco hated it, and neither Blaise nor Theo particularly enjoyed it, so the Malfoy Manor was knocked off the list too.

Draco and Theo would visit him sometimes. His mum never turned them down, and she treated the two as if they were her own sons. But familial tensions prevented the two wealthier, purer purebloods from visiting often, leaving Blaise- once again- alone.

Sometimes he felt like an outcast. He supposed that's one of the many reasons he was so disappointed with Akane, apart from the eating thing. She, too, was an outcast. But she blended in with Blaise's peers more easily than he ever could.

Was Blaise jealous? Maybe.

But it only fueled his dislike of her further.


	10. Chapter 10: A Date with Diggory

"I told you," Akane breathed heavily with all the adrenaline flooding through her veins.

"Diggory, you might have some competition for seeker." Harry laid down on his broom.

"No, I wouldn't do that. Not to Cedric, maybe you Harry, but not Cedric." She replied.

"I feel honoured Mikoshiba, I really do." Cedric gave her a genuine smile.

"Good, well." She turned to the boys. "I think we should start going, Cedric. Harry's still got tryouts."

"But this is perfect sabotage, watching the new recruits for Gryffindor." Cedric playfully whined.

"Ced, if that's your idea of sabotage then we need to talk." Akane spoke to him rather seriously.

"Of course," Cedric rolled his eyes at her while ending with a wink.

"Kami, Potter. Why didn't you warn me about how much a flirt Diggory is?" Akane looked at the boy who lived.

"I thought I did… Well whatever you do, don't let him convince you to see the prefects bathrooms. No matter how nice the baths are." Harry warned.

"Wait… There are baths here?" She looked at the pair, missing onsens.

"Yeah, but they're only for prefects." Golden boy nodded, not missing the showers one bit.

"So I can't use them?" Akane bit her lip.

"Well-"

"Akane!" Harry interrupted Cedric's offer. "No. If it's Cedric or any other guy offer to take you to the prefects bathroom. Say no."

"You're no fun Potter," Cedric teased while in his gray eyes, irritation could be detected.

"I'm watching out for a friend!."

"Thanks Harry, I'm sure Hermione would be glad to hear that." Akane watched as he blushed much like a tomato.

"Hey guys!" Ron flew over to them. "Diggory, Akane? Why are you two here?"

"Quidditch practice," Akane replied remembering the events that occurred not too long ago.

"Oh, alright." Ron still seemed very awkward.

"Harry! Cedric!" Another girl with flaming red hair came towards the floating group. "I haven't seen you in a while. 'Cept you Harry."

"Oh, Ginny this is Akane, Akane this is Ginny." Harry introduced the pair hoping that Ginny receives the news of having friends from Slytherin well.

"Akane," Ginny's eyes lit up. "I remember! You were sitting with them at dinner, then Brown came along. Nice to meet you."

"You too," Akane kept watching as the group multiplied. Eventually Cedric and herself had to leave the field and as they landed Akane spotted a certain Lavender Brown. She wasn't hard to find, with her atrocious bows in her hair or the way she held up signs with Ron's name plastered on them.

"Wow," Akane shook her head.

"I know, she's a little…"

"Obsessed?"

"Sure," Cedric then looked at the girl. "I'll walk you back to the dungeons?"

"You don't have to."

"But I want to, I even offered. Most of the time I don't have to offer."

"Oh, so you must get around a lot then?" Akane raised a brow and began to rethink of her original assessment of the golden boy.

"Maybe someday you'll find out."

"Someday, but not today… Say, how about we race?" She challenged. "First one to the front of the castle?"

"And if I win?"

"What would you want?"

"A date with me in Hogsmeade," Cedric replied.

"Date?"

"Yeah, since you know. We aren't seeing anyone and it'd be a great way to show you around

and get a new book and-"

"Okay," she smiled at his cute rambles. "But what if I win?"

"What would you want?"

"I want the password to the prefects bathroom."

"Why?"

"Because baths are nice, anyways. Are you ready?"

"Steady."

"Go."

The pair raced to the front, each of them for their own personal reasons. The match was close but Akane was still able to pull through to the front. Professional training did have their benefits. But she watched as Cedric's crestfallen face still finish.

"So, the password?" Akane smirked victoriously.

"Mermaids."

"And where are they?" She couldn't wait to soak in the tub tonight.

"By the- Wait. No, you didn't say that you wanted to know where they were, only the password." Cedric smiled, he had a shot.

"That's not fair," Akane scrunched her brows.

"Yes it is."

"Cedric."

"Akane."

"Fine, fine." She put herself back on the ground. "Geeze. You drive a hard bargain Diggory."

"I figured it'd be the only way to win around you, so Hogsmeade?"

"This Saturday?"

"This Saturday," he confirmed. "Meet me by the great hall."

"I'll see you then," Akane smiled as she entered the school with him in tow.

"Until, then." Cedric watched as she entered the stairs that led to the dungeons and couldn't help but be ecstatic. Sure she was a Slytherin, but she wasn't like that lot. She was different, open minded, and overall she wasn't overly enchanted with his golden boy reputation.

Eventually Diggory made it back to the Hufflepuff dorms, and saw Justin.

"You wouldn't believe the day I've had…"

Back in the Slytherin dungeons, Akane couldn't help but feel a slight bit giddy about the adventure she'd have in Hogsmeade with Cedric.

"You!" Pansy shrieked before Akane could actually enter through the passage. "You got Cedric Diggory to ask you out! How! What potions? The amorentia was a waste from this morning… Did you slip him some?"

"Or was it some sort of incantations?" Bulstrode looked at her with accusatory eyes.

"Or maybe he just likes her?" Daphne said, "it is a possibility you know."

"Who's side are you on?" Pansy looked at the Greengrass woman.

"Logic." Daphne then looked at Akane then ushered the girl with her eyes to go to the dorm room. With a silent nod, Akane promised that she'd thank the girl properly someday, but just not today.

Pansy's scolding met with Daphne's calm and collected logic as Akane inched her way towards her dorm. After entering the room, Akane let out a breath of relief and was almost too exhausted to clean herself up for bed.

Almost.

But before she'd make her way towards the bathrooms she suddenly remembered a cleanliness spell, back from her days in Mahoutokoro. A few latin-Japanese words later, she felt fresh and ready to let the worries of the day slip away.

Yet, she still couldn't understand a certain Italian man.

His reputation according to the halls of Hogwarts, told her that he should be one way. But

her experience with him would be the exact opposite. Then again, she was also heard that Slytherins were all snakes, Gryffindors were all idiots, Hufflepuffs aren't worth a galleon, and Ravenclaws are the real successful ones in life.

That of course, must be wrong as well.

She knew Hermione Granger, she was the most intelligent girl she'd ever meet. Cedric Diggory was a Hufflepuff but he was worth more than a million galleons. She'd met a few Ravenclaws and although they possessed a search for knowledge, many were still indecisive about their choices in life. There was no way those whispers could be true.

As she fell into a dreamless sleep she couldn't help but wonder how the rest of the year would pan out. Seeing as this was only day one.

* * *

Morning came by and as she walked down to the great hall, she spotted Cedric Diggory waiting patiently.

"Hello."

"Hi," he smiled in return. "I-uh don't think we have classes today so I just wanted to make sure you know that tryouts are tonight after dinner."

"Thank you, Cedric."

"No problem." He watched the people go past them.

"So, I'll see you later?"

"Sounds good."

After Akane left the front to join Harry and Hermione, Cedric was suddenly pulled aside by his old potions partner.

"Yes?" Cedric asked, curious as to why Zabini was angry all the time.

"Are you really going on a date with _her?_ "


	11. Chapter 11: Introducing Professor Borkan

"Yeah, I am," Cedric gave a confident nod.

Blaise scoffed. "Have fun. She's strange." He was being sarcastic, but the vibes didn't register in Cedric's mind.

"Why do you care?"

"I don't." Blaise paused. "And I don't like her, but she's still a Slytherin, somehow. Just… watch yourself, Diggory."

"Sure I will, but that doesn't answer my question…" Cedric eyed the man. "Do you like her or something?"

" _Fuck_ no. Like I said, she's strange," Blaise shook his head, still glaring at Cedric with narrowed eyes. "Besides, how do you know it's not _you_ I like?" It's not, but Blaise- like Draco- was sometimes one for reactions.

Plus, he wanted to get Cedric off his case. He wasn't even sure why he did this. Why _did_ he do this? It was almost like his body and mouth reacted for him.

Thank Merlin he had left before the others did.

"Urk," Cedric then tried to recall a moment where they've even had a proper conversation. "Honestly mate, if you do swing that way. I'm sorry. But from what I do know, you're too much of a ladies man than to swing that way."

"Sod off, Diggory. I could be bi, and you'd sound very insensitive right about now." Blaise took a step back and gave a halfhearted wave. "I'm going to breakfast."

Blaise took off at a rather brisk pace, his skin itching simply due to Diggory's happy-go-lucky presence. He pushed by a first year or two- accidentally- and sat down next to Pucey at the Slytherin table.

Once again, Akane had found her place with the Lions.

"Oi, Blaise," Pucey said around a muffin. "Coming to practice today?"

Blaise blinked. "We don't have the field today-"

Adrian shrugged. "Don't matter. We can soar over the Forest if we have to. It's all about practice, practice, practice! Malfoy's got the right idea."

"You realize he isn't actually practicing, right-"

Speak of the devil. The blond sauntered between tables and took his place across from Blaise, with Theo sitting down next to him not a moment later.

"Well hello to you, too," Blaise greeted the pair.

Draco yawned. Theo blinked blearily.

Pucey frowned at the sight. "Malfoy, you better snap outta this. We've got practicing to do-"

"Not today," Draco interrupted.

"Why are you both so tired?" Blaise asked, then: "What, more quidditch?"

"Can you stop with that?" Draco snapped. "No, really."

Blaise shook his head. "Not an option."

Anything Draco could have said in response was cut off by Pansy's arrival. "Good morning, boys! Today is a fine and wonderful day!"

"Who crawled into your knickers?" Blaise asked. So far, so good. Apart from his odd run-in with his sworn enemy- Diggory- Blaise was in a rather decent mood.

Pansy laughed. "More like who's _about_ to! We have a new teacher. Well, club advisor. I heard some rumors. He was supposed to be here yesterday but he had some complications back home, but- where is he?"

"Who?" Pucey glanced around, struggling to identify a new face.

"Professor Borkan! He's from Saudi Arabia, and he's apparently super cultured. _And_ super hot. He's teaching Muggle Music," Pansy exclaimed, grinning wide. "I mean, it's Muggle Music, so… it's whatever. He's hot. If he's worth it, I'm attending that club."

Draco sent her a scathing glare. " _You're_ going to go to a Muggle club?"

Pansy shrugged. "Why not? Maybe I'll learn something."

"I'm actually gagging." Draco faux gagged. Theo snorted. "That's honestly disgusting."

"Get over it," Pansy countered, and she suddenly froze and gasped. " _OhmyMerlin-"_

Through the grand doors of the Great Hall strolled in a man of a new kind. He had caramel skin and a turban on his head. Blaise concluded that he was from a Middle Eastern country. But the most striking feature had to have been the contrast of colors. His skin was a warm golden color while his hair was a sharp, almost jet black.

Blaise had to admit, the guy was attractive. And if he was bi, as he claimed in the presence of Diggory earlier, this image would be quality material for later use. But alas, Blaise was not bi.

Pansy, on the other hand, much like several other females in the Great Hall, foamed at the mouth like a rabid animal. She had this crazed look in her eyes, and she clutched the table top with sweaty palm. " _Fuck me,_ he's so hot! Millicent, quick! Do you have that camera I stole from the Creevey boy?"

"No? I thought you took it-"

"You know what? That's not important right now," Pansy shook her head wildly, eyes glued to the man's form. "Let me bask in his aura! Merlin!"

"And here we have Pansy, transcending from harpy to full-blown succubus," Draco muttered darkly. "Not only does she whine and screech, but she also tries to seduce men that are _clearly_ out of her league-"

Pansy reached across the table and whacked the blond on the head. "Sod off, wanker!" Draco tried to hit her back, but she had retracted back to the other side of the table, so he settled on kicking her bag off the seat.

"He's alright," Pucey stated, not feeling it. "Does he play quidditch?"

"Does he look like he does?" Theo asked.

Pucey shrugged. "You never know. I never thought you played, either, but here we are."

"I'm awfully great at Beater."

"You know, you look like you would be," Pucey agreed, giving Theo a nod.

Blaise chuckled. Draco, on the other hand, deadpanned.

"Shush," Daphne said, watching Dumbledore give his speech about how they needed to sign up for the club and there'd be a limited amount of who can join.

"Move!" Pansy shouted, nearly pushing Bulstrode out of her seat and leaping across the table. "I need in this club!"

Blaise was in awe. Seeing half the female population vault out of their seats to the front of the Great Hall was entertaining, in a way. The new professor smiled innocently down at the mob, and Blaise absentmindedly scanned it, expecting Pansy to start jumping onto students' backs.

What he did see, though, was a flash of red hair and a familiar mop of black. _Weaslette and the New Girl._ Fascinating, and slightly irritating. He supposed he still had work to do on the She-Weasel, but the New Girl?

It all seemed a little bit underneath her, but who was he to judge?

"Ridiculous," Draco grumbled, taking a final gulp of pumpkin juice. "I'm out of here." He stood up, Theo moving to follow, and Blaise held up a hand.

"Sit your arses back down," he commanded, unimpressed. "You're not ditching me again."

"Draco left his tie in the dorm room," Theo said. A weak excuse. Blaise looked over to Draco, and was slightly disappointed to see that Theo wasn't wrong. Draco, however, was oddly surprised.

"What the fuck," Draco said, glancing around the table and on the floor. "I swear I had-"

Blaise watched Draco struggle to comprehend that his image wasn't picture perfect with amusement. Theo stood back up, though, and starting walking out. Once he realized what was happening, Draco jumped up and scrambled to followed.

Adrian, to Blaise's left, shook his head and tsked. "There they go again."

Blinking slowly, Blaise physically felt the disbelief wash over his features. "Just you and me again, Pucey."

"Do you, uh, wanna go practice quidditch? We could follow them up to the field," Adrian gestured towards the direction of where the field would be.

Blaise stared at the boy for a few moments. "Pucey, they never said they were going to the field."

"I thought that was implied."

"You do realize that some people at this school use quidditch as a code for sex, right?"

At this new bit of information, Adrian let out a bark of laughter. "Quidditch? Sex? Blaise, my mate, you're hilarious! Wow, that's a new one. But seriously, do you want to go practice, we have some time-"

"That's a no, Pucey."

"Got it."

* * *

(AN): Professor Borkan is based off of a real guy! Omar Borkan Al Gala, proclaimed "too sexy for his country." He's truly beautiful.


	12. Chapter 12: Taiyakis

"Merlin's beard," Akane heard Ginny's quite audible gasp. "He's like sex on legs."

"Ginny! That's disgusting," Ron looked at his younger sister.

"You and Lavender dating, now that's disgusting. Professor Borkan is the finest thing to probably ever enter these halls." She eyed him down like a true lioness, Akane had to admit.

He was a very attractive man.

Even more so when they had the briefest moment of eye contact as he neared her table. His eyes just so happened to be a beautiful blend of yellows and browns. Akane herself, almost thought it was worth signing up for the club.

"Hermione! Why won't you sign up with me?" Ginny cried.

"My parents are non-magical, I already know what he's teaching." She replied clearly uninterested in the exotic man.

"Akane! You must join with me, I can't go alone." Ginny held onto her arm like a lifeline. "Please, Akane."

"But why?"

"Because, the last thing I need is to be stuck alone. In a classroom with Parkinson, look at her. Her mouth practically has foam running down her face."

"I suppose-Woah-" Akane didn't have time to finish her sentence.

Ginny was every bit of a chaser as she was navigating her ways through the crowds with herself in hand. Not once had she fumbled or gotten stuck. Akane even looked up to see Dumbledore's eyes which held, plenty of amusement.

As they got closer to the magical clip board where girls were shouting their names left and right, Akane could see that her new professor was much more to look at when they're only a few meters away. Akane could feel the intense stare of his eyes on the girls that huddled the clipboard, and she silently hoped that she wouldn't be spotted.

"Blimey," Ginny cussed then shouted her name. "Ginevra Weasley!" As the quill heard correctly and clearly her name soon appeared. Then she shoved Akane into her spot so that she could shout her own name.

"Akane Mikoshiba," she tried but was drowned out by the others.

"Louder." Ginny looked at the page as it began to fill.

"Akane Mikoshiba!"

"Pansy Parkinson!" They both cried out simultaneously but Pansy just so happened to be

Closer. With a smirk she shimmied her way out of the crowd.

"Akane! Mikoshiba!" She screamed for the third time but a certain Lavender Brown was easier heard. With that her chances of being on the list were doomed. "Sorry, Ginny. I couldn't make it."

"Bloody-" She was about to swear filled with hexes left and right but she suddenly remembered that Professor Borkam was only a few meters away. "Blazes. Blazes! Akane, what am I going to do without you?"

"You'll be fine," she tried to assure her friend while leading her away from the crowded area. "Professor Borkam wouldn't allow Pansy to get too out of hand, besides she'd probably be staring at him more often than not."

"Still, you have Cedric to go back to."

"What do you mean?" Akane tried her best to hear her ginger friend over the loud cries of the girls.

"You two are practically dating according to the rumor mill, and from what I know about Hufflepuffs. You've probably won his heart already! It's not even the bloody second week," Ginny continued on. "At this rate, I'll end up with no one."

"Why does it matter so much?" Akane was their eyes while navigating back to their table seeing as she was slightly taller.

"Because," Ginny tightened her lip. "It is. I just don't want to be alone again for the whole year. Besides, I was hoping that you and I could get into the club that way one of us has a chance at getting with Professor Borkan-"

"Ginny!" Akane cried out scandalized.

"Honestly," she held her hand to her heart. "I'd much rather it'd be you or I, it's better than Lavender or Pansy… All the bints these days, named after flowers."

"Ginny."

"Yes?"

"Your name is Ginevra, right?"

"Yes."

"That's a flower."

"Shite, well that's not what I meant… You get it don't you Akane?"

"I do, Ginevra."

"I hate that name," she scowled.

"I can tell." Akane slightly smirked.

"Your inner snake is showing."

"Is it?"

"Oh look, lover boy." Ginny pointed to Cedric who was happily chatting Harry and Ron up.

"Ginny," Akane looked back at her friend with concern.

"What?" She replied half heartedly.

"Hey!" Cedric waved them over.

"Hello again," Akane smiled while Ginny nodded with acknowledgement.

"That was a bloody mad dash," Ron looked at his sister and then Akane. "Are you two alright?"

"Yeah, but Akane didn't get in." Ginny sighed while Cedric slightly perked up.

"Really? You didn't want to?" He asked Akane.

"No, Ginny wanted me to join with her. But I didn't get my name on the list."

"She was out performed by that bint over there and that one over there," Ginny used her head to point the general direction of the girls.

"Really? I can't imagine how," Cedric smiled gently.

"They were louder and closer to the quill," Akane filled in for him; although not entirely disappointed at the fact that she didn't make the cut.

"Well then-"

"Won-Won!" Lavender came rushing alongside her there had been Parvati Patil. "I got in, isn't that so exciting."

"Sure?" Ron replied watching Akane out of the corner of his eye.

"Who is are you?" Parvati looked at Akane in wonder. "I've never seen you around."

"My name is-"

"Slytherin," Lavender spat with her eyes narrowing.

"It's actually, Akane. Akane Mikoshiba flower girl." She looked at Lavender with a sneer ready to form.

"Cedric, you're here as well." Parvati beamed at him, "what brings you to our neck of the woods?"

"I was actually going to ask Akane what class she had right now, it wouldn't be fair for her to get lost while we essentially know every nook and cranny." He supplemented.

"Akane," Parvati then looked at the girl in question. "You're Diggory's girlfriend!"

"Girlfriend?!" multiple voices spluttered.

"I-We-" Akane couldn't form a coherent sentence.

"Parvati, are you daft? Why would Cedric date this _snake_." Lavender looked at Akane with a newfound hatred. Among those who were surprised at the news that Diggory was dating Mikoshiba, it had been Ron's that made her the most infuriated.

"What is your problem?" Akane looked at Lavender.

"My problem is you."

"Why? I've only been here for two days at the most."

"Because… Because…" Lavender couldn't gather her brains enough to make a proper excuse. "Because how could anything good come from the house of Slytherin?"

"Ronald," Ginny looked at her brother. "Control your bint."

"I'm not a bint-"

"Lavender, I think you took it too far." The ginger boy agreed with the group, finally growing some bullocks against his not-so-secret admirer.

"Won-Won," she gasped as if she were burned.

As she left, the group with tears in her eyes. Akane could only watch with curiosity. What made her bring the worst out of people? The house of Slytherin isn't inherently evil, there was no way. But in the back of her mind they could be. After all she was removed from Mahokotoro's halls. She wasn't a bad person, she just wanted to become stronger and she just so happened to want to know about those banned scrolls that the academy tucked away. But she couldn't help but wonder, was she the villain?

"Hey? Akane," she looked up to see Cedric's worried face. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. I'm alright." Her voice went back to a stricter setting than it had been at before.

"Well, come on." He led her out of the hall without letting her say as much as a goodbye to the rest of the group.

"Stay away from the baths!" Harry yelled at Diggory like an older brother would for their younger sister.

As the pair exited swiftly, Akane couldn't help but try to keep up with Cedric's fast pace. His legs were longer than her's and he seemed to be dead set on a destination Akane couldn't figure out. After a few minutes of walking to who knows where, Akane decided to ask Cedric where exactly are they going. Then he finally stopped and realised that he essentially dragged her to the Hufflepuff dormitory, definitely not his intentions but he wanted to talk to her about what really is torturing her mind. He knew that whatever is said in the Hufflepuff common rooms stay there, that's how he knew it'd be safe for her to be herself without the social suffocations of the school's self-imposed laws.

"Where… Are we?"

"Um… The kitchens," Cedric made a quick recovery. "I don't have a class right now, you?"

"I think I have an open period," she checked her time table. "Yes, I don't have anything."

"Good," Cedric then began to tickle the pair and Akane began to question his sanity. But before she could the door opened to reveal the grand kitchens of Hogwarts. "Did you eat breakfast?"

"No, not really."

"Great," he led her inside and she watched the house elf's bustle around.

"Tippy?" Cedric called and a house elf appeared out of thin air.

"Master Cedric! It has been a while since Tippy has last seen you," the house elf smiled.

"Akane, this is Tippy. Tippy this is Akane," Cedric gave her no specific title as to if she were a friend or something more.

"Mistress Akane, it is a pleasure for Tippy to meet you." The elf curtseyed.

"Likewise," Akane followed suit.

"Now is there anything you would like Tippy to get for young masters?"

"What would you like?" Cedric looked at her and she saw this as a golden opportunity to make something she'd been sorely missing.

"Taiyaki."

"What's that?" Cedric asked her while looked at Tippy.

"It's like a pancake that's crispy on the outside but soft on the inside with a filling, like chocolate, anko, or nutella. Sometimes even fruit jams," Akane smiled a the fond memories that taiyaki gave to her.

"Taiyaki?" Tippy looked at her, "I don't think Tippy has ever made such a thing… Oh my! What will Tippy-"

Akane quickly saw that the elf was about to punish herself, "If you have the ingredients I could make it?"

"But Mistress!"

"It's fine, Tippy. Now," she began to tell the house elf exactly what she'd need. "And maybe a pancake pan with a flat top?"

"Right away," with a snap Tippy was gone once again.

"You cook?"

"Yes, it's a requirement for all students in Mahokoutoro. It isn't here?" She rolled her sleeves while taking off her long robe.

"No, it isn't." He watched as she thanked Tippy and began to pour things into a bowl. "Here let me help."

"Have you ever cooked?" She watched him warily as he picked up the whisk. "Cedric you should take your robe off before it gets dirty."

"Um, well not really. But I'm ready to try," he did as she said and rolled his own sleeves.

"Alright, well. You mix and I'll pour," Akane then began to add a variation of things into the bowl. Cedric even stopped her a few times to ask, just what exactly was she pouring into the batter. Then she began to prepare the pan as Cedric continued to mix, successfully only getting a wee bit of flour on his trousers.

"I think it's ready," she tested the batter on the hot skillet. "What flavor would you like?"

"Which one do you like best?"

"I prefer chocolate with banana in the center."

"Then I'd like that one," he smiled as he tried his best to learn what she liked to do.

"Alright," she then began to pour the batter along with the chocolate and not two minutes later the perfect, round, taiyakis were ready to eat. "Cheers?"

"I've never cheered with a pancake before."

"Well you said that you're ready to try," Akane smiled at him for the first time without a care. Which caused Cedric to blush slightly.

"Right, well. Cheers," with that they both took a bite out of their creation. She could clearly see the delight on his face as soon as he stopped being wuss about his bites and hit the center. "This is bloody brilliant."

"I haven't had taiyaki in a while, I missed it." She took another bite. "I think I want another, you?"

"You haven't even finished your first one."

"I will," she then took a few large bites and showed him her empty hands. He smiled at her antics, but continued on his own. Then he looked at the other possible options, one stood out to him. It looked like some sort of kidney bean with a syrupy glaze.

"Akane, what is this?" He pointed to the bowl.

"Anko, it's red beans with sugar. Do you want to try it?"

"I'm not sure if I'd like it," he replied with total honesty.

"Lucky for you, I like it. I'll make one and you can have a bite, anything else you'd like?"

"Maybe the blueberry jam," he picked up the bottle for her.

"Thank you," she poured the batter into the pan along with the fillings but before she closed the double sided pan. "Would you like to make one?"

"No, I don't have as much confidence in my skills as you seem to."

"You'll never know until you try." She gestured for him to take the lead on this batch.

"What if I mess up?"

"Then they'll always be another batch, ready to be made."

"If you say so," he skillfully turned the pan onto its other side.

"See? Easy," she then grabbed her glass that was filled with juice. "Looks like I'll have my new taiyaki chef on the way anytime now."

"Well if it's for you I wouldn't mind," Cedric looked at her wide eyes. But before he could register exactly what he said he started to smell burning. Quickly he opened the pan to see slightly burnt pastries. "Damn."

"It's not bad," she took a fork and placed the two complete taiyaki's onto a plate. Then she cut a section off of the anko filled one and held it to Cedric's face.

He was simply about to reach for it until she pulled back. "It's very hot, I wouldn't do that."

"Then how am I supposed to eat it?"

"Blow on it," she then held the fork up to his face again. "Otherwise it'll burn your tongue. It'd be very funny to see the loyal captain with a strange accent all because he burnt his tongue."

"Hm," he tilted his head off to the side and looked at her.

"What?"

"That's a very Slytherin thing of you to say." Cedric teased.

"Is it now?"

"Yeah, I can't wait to see what kind of argument you might get in with Snape."

"Why is that?"

"You are both very smart when it comes to your 'threats' it'd be interesting to see Snape all tongue tied."

"And you'll be there watching?"

"Of course!"

"You realise that Snape would probably give me detention for trying and I have a feeling you'd try to help, earning yourself detention as well." She rolled her eyes as he finally took the bite.

"Well, you know what they say about us Hufflepuffs." He chewed enjoying the new taste of the red beans.

"And what is that?"

"You might belong in Hufflepuff where they are just and loyal, these patient Hufflepuffs are true and unafraid of toil," he recited.

"And you're willing to risk detention with Snape for that argument? From what I've heard it's not particularly fun."

"Well you're lucky that you've got the Captain of the Hufflepuff quidditch team on your side then. I'm not entirely sure if any other bloke would risk it just to see that."

"Really, Captain? I'm pretty sure that it'd leave a bad stain on your golden heart." She took a bite out of the anko filled pancake unafraid of the germs Cedric left on the fork.

"Nothing could taint a heart of pure gold," Cedric replied totally convinced.

"Nothing?"

"Not a thing," he then reached out for the blueberry taiyaki only to yelp at the heated center.

"Didn't I tell you it'd be hot?"


	13. Chapter 13: Daphne's Lecture

The first class of the day was an optional elective period, one which Theo gladly took advantage of. Draco and Blaise- along with most other Slytherins- opted out, and usually hung out in the common room until it was time for class.

Adrian had broken away from the group to sprint for the quidditch field, eager to do some flying before any other students arrived. The man was blatantly obsessed. It had gotten to the point where Hooch would refer to him as her unofficial student teacher, and she'd sometimes ask him to help with the first and second years in their flying lessons.

Pansy, on the other hand, had recruited Millicent and a few of the other girls to go on a Borkan hunting spree, determined to find his club room and, if they were lucky, his place of residency within the castle.

Which left Draco, Blaise, Daphne, and Tracey Davis. Daphne was tolerable- and a good shag- and unlike Pansy, she held a certain level of self-respect. Tracey Davis was on the quieter side, and was very similar to Daphne in several ways. She was a tad shorter than the blond, had dark brown hair, and a set of refined facial features. Both girls played on the Slytherin quidditch team. But where Daphne became passive-aggressive when angry, Tracey Davis became downright malicious when provoked.

The two were close.

"I'm really surprised you took the open period this year, Daph," Tracey commented, sitting on one of the regal black sofas surrounding the flickering green fire.

Daphne pursed her lips and shrugged. "I wanted a break."

"You've also taken nearly every class possible," Draco added slyly. "I think all that's missing from your transcript is Muggle Studies."

"No, I took that second and third year."

"Merlin," Draco said, eyebrows raised. "How was _that_?"

"Rather fascinating, really. Muggles aren't _heathens,_ Draco, they're just different," Daphne replied, smoothly. She spared Draco a withering look, and the male scowled. "I always thought their sense of culture was stronger than ours."

Tracey hummed in agreement.

"I suppose," Blaise said. He thought back to the multiple summers over the years, from watching Muggles pass by outside his windows to meeting the few that his mother had brought home. When asked, though, both Zabinis denied those occurrences ever happening. "But that doesn't mean they aren't odd."

"Different, Blaise. Different," Daphne insisted.

Draco scowled. "I still don't like them."

"You've never met one," Tracey backfired.

"Sure I have. Granger's an ex-Muggle, and she's not that great," Draco claimed.

Daphne shook her head. "Granger doesn't count. Sure, she grew up a Muggle, but she's a witch, fair and square." She glanced down at her manicured nails. "Think from a psychological standpoint. It's all about nature versus nurture. Granger didn't grow up to be shaped as a witch, such as Tracey or I, but she inherited the gene. Just because she was raised around Muggles, that doesn't _make_ her a Muggle, and it certainly doesn't make her any less of a witch."

Floored by her argument, Draco went silent.

Daphne continued. "You, on the other hand. You could've been such a nice chap, but because of how you were raised, you turned into a right arse. Could you be nice, on some deep, hidden level? I pray for Theo."

"Now wait a minute-"

"She makes a good point," Tracey supported. She and Daphne exchanged a nod.

"I suppose you could also apply this to Akane," Daphne added, flashing a glare at Blaise. "She's not so bad, you know. She _was_ put into Slytherin, after all. But take into account her background. She grew up in Japan, a country halfway around the globe. Granted, I've never been, but I can take a guess and assume that socioculturally- and politically- Wizarding Japan is structured very differently than Wizarding Britain. Eastern cultures are typically more community-centred than Western cultures. We may have been taught to know who our allies and enemies are, but in Japan, they may value unity and cooperation over competition, hence her likelihood and openness to inter-house friendships."

Blaise stared at her. "I'm not an idiot, you know-"

"I didn't say you were," Daphne said, shaking her head. "But think about it. If Slytherin values fraternity and close bonds within its house, why are we shunning our newest- and probably most vulnerable- member? We should be accepting her, helping her, teaching her our ways. Not shutting her out because she doesn't immediately belong."

"Believe me, Daph, that girl is anything but vulnerable," Blaise snorted. Reluctantly, he understood what Daphne was saying. The eldest Greengrass sister was always too intelligent for her own good, and she was stellar at giving advice. He would've wondered why she wasn't put in Ravenclaw if it wasn't for her obvious mean-streak back in fourth year. She must've been going through something at home, for Daphne was out of control all throughout March.

"I know she's strong. In a new environment, though, surrounded by new people, we are supposed to be the ones to band together and assist her," Daphne continued. "Seeing as we _didn't,_ it's no surprise she turned to Potter and his group."

A beat. Blaise took this quiet moment to let Daphne's words sink in.

So maybe he hadn't been as kind to Akane as he should've been. It wasn't like he was obligated, though. _Kindness_ was a required Hufflepuff trait, not a Slytherin one.

(Not that that stopped Macmillian from being a twat. The bloke was probably the most annoying little shite to ever place in Hufflepuff.)

"Merlin, Daphne, I thought this was an open period, not a psychology lecture," Draco drawled, a tad bitter. It was obvious, though, that Daphne's message had been received.

She hummed. "You boys needed it."

"Kinda… ruined the mood, just a tad," Blaise muttered. Daphne ignored him.

"Really, though," Tracey piped in, "She makes a _really_ good point."

"You've said that," Draco said. "At least twice."

Tracey nodded. "I know. Just making sure you heard, that's all."

* * *

The rest of the open period was spent in a heavy silence, in which it was too heavy for either Draco or Blaise to get up and leave, but almost suffocating to stay. The two girls, though, continued chatting like it was no big deal, pretending they hadn't just verbally attacked the two quiet males.

Eventually, though, it was getting close to time for them to leave for their first class of the day: History of Magic, with Professor Binns. Draco and Blaise were quick to use this an as excuse to hide out in their dorm until it was time to leave.

Neither of them talked about what Daphne said. Blaise knew, though, on some level, that he was considering what she said. He just wasn't quite ready to do anything about it.

It was affecting Draco as well. Visibly. He walked stiffly, face contorted into a semi-permanent grimace, eyes flickering this way and that. He didn't speak a word on their walk to class, which was fine with Blaise.

Awkwardly enough, the two of them were early. The first class of the day had already been released, but no one else had showed up yet, leaving the two of them alone with Professor Binns. The ghost floated at the front of the class, staring straight ahead at nothing in particular. He didn't greet them, either, which only made things more uncomfortable.

They took their usual table towards the back, third to last. Blaise sat on one end and Draco sat one seat away, leaving space for Theo in between and an empty seat on the other end. To busy himself, Draco placed his textbook on the table and pretending to flip through the pages, as though looking for something in particular.

Some giddy Gryffindor girls flowed through the classroom door, most likely giggling about Hogwarts' newest professor. They sat on the other side of the classroom, as was prone to happen. The Slytherins sat on the left, the Gryffindors on the right, with a long aisle splitting the two sections down the middle. It had been this way since day one, and no one was eager to change it.

Next came along Granger, presumably from a class, with Theo not too far behind. The two had a habit of accidentally picking the same elective classes more often than not. But they never quarrelled. It fact, it seemed that they had reached a truce somewhere along the line, and would often work together if they had no one else to work with.

It was an interesting alliance, and Draco didn't particularly like it, but it seemed to work.

Theo came and sat down between them, setting his items down haphazardly on the desk.

"Daphne says I should be nicer to you," Draco blurted, watching Theo.

Theo glanced at the blond out of the corner of his eye. "Really? That was nice of her."

"Should I?" Draco asked. Blaise raised his brows. _Really, Drake?_

"Hmm." Theo turned to stare at Draco. "What do you think?"

" _I am not in the mood for any more mind games-"_

Potter and Weasley both came in, looking worse for wear. Honestly, _no one_ was a fan of Binns's lectures. Not even Granger. The sodding ghost was just so unbearably boring, and he always spoke with a raspy, monotone voice, fitting of his ghostly appearance. But it didn't make class any more exciting. Adrian trudged in behind them, actually on time for once, and sat down on Draco's other side.

"I'm here guys! I made it!" Pucey grinned, pumping his fist in the air.

Pansy pulled out a chair and sat down at the table behind them, Millicent at her side. "Congratulations, Adrian," she said, sarcastically. "That must've been really difficult for you."

"You can't imagine." Adrian shook his head and turned around in his chair. "I had to physically _force_ myself to put down my broom and get ready to go to class. It was bloody painful."

Pansy rolled her eyes.

Class was just about to start and Akane finally came through the doors, grinning wide. She took a seat next to Hermione and Harry- on the _Gryffindor side-_ and pulled out her items for class.

Seeing her brought Daphne's words back to the front of his mind. Blaise let himself stare at the back of her head for only a moment before taking a deep breath and forcing his gaze away.

He couldn't do much about the damage now. Perhaps he'd try to talk to the girl later, away from Diggory's glowing golden presence and the Lions that had taken to swarming around her. Blaise would probably have to talk to Pansy too, try and calm the harpy down. _He_ didn't favor being on Pansy's bad side, and talking to Akane would only send him straight there.

For now, he'd focus on class. Well, maybe not, seeing as History of Magic was- again- bloody boring. So he'd focus on napping, or bothering Draco instead.

Adrian and Theo were one step ahead of him.

"What do you two say about playing a short game of quidditch during lunch?" Pucey suggested, leaning forward so he could see both Draco and Theo. "I mean, we can't really do teams, but we can practice."

"Pucey, drop it-"

"I think three is a perfect number, actually," Theo nodded, straightfaced.

Adrian grinned. "Perfect! Now, you say you're good at Beater, so… you can do that, and I'll play Keeper, and Malfoy… well, usually I'd put him on Seeker, but with only three of us, I think he'd be better off playing Chaser."

"Sounds great," Theo agreed.

Draco sputtered. "Can you _shut it,_ Pucey?"

"Why me? Theo's ready to play," Adrian said.

The tiniest of grins twitched at the corner of Theo's mouth.

" _No,_ just… just stop, okay?" Draco scowled. "We're not playing quidditch with you."

"But-"

"You're getting obnoxious." Draco waved a hand in Adrian's face. "Go pester Greengrass or Davis instead."

Disheartened, Adrian cast a hopeful glance towards Blaise, but the other Slytherin had already fallen asleep, leaning back in his chair.


	14. Chapter 14: Celebrity Crush

She left the kitchens with a grin on her face, just the Diggory had hoped she would. As they parted anyone with eyes could see that the two were practically a couple, much to the distaste of the many females across Hogwarts.

As she entered the room where the professor was supposed to be a ghost, she saw that Hermione and Harry had saved a seat. With Ron nowhere in sight, she was right to assume that, that seat belonged to her. After a few hello's, the class started with a lecture. She began to take avid notes but after a while she saw that the rest of the class were either sleeping or doing something else completely. Even Hermione had a slightly glazed look as she 'listened' to Professor Binns' lecture.

Although the information she was hearing wasn't the most entertaining, she had to admit that some of might hold value in creating new spells. But after a while, she disregarded that value and decided that writing random things on her parchment papers were worlds more interesting. She scribbles things such as her ideas of the new school and what should be done to improve it, or how she'd prefer a wider range of classes. Suddenly, to her surprise, inked words she didn't write began to appear.

'Is that so?' It had said and then, 'I've always wondered the same things.'

Quickly she scribbled. 'Who are you?'

'A friend'

Akane looked around the room to see that Harry had taken a nap while Hermione was close to it, Ginny would be in potions at the moment so she wouldn't be able to write notes like this, even if she had she wouldn't be this vague.

'How do I know that?'

'With faith and trust.'

'How can I have faith and trust in someone I've never seen before?'

'Valid point'

'How are you writing to me?'

'I don't know, one moment my parchment is blank the next it's filled with concerns about the school and random hearts.'

'Strange indeed.' She wrote back looking up at the clock to see not an hour has passed yet.

'Do you go to this school?' Mystery stranger wrote in question then offered, 'I do.'

'I do too, what year?'

'I can't say…'

'Why is that?'

'Trust me, it wouldn't look good if I did.' Mystery stranger wrote in their cryptic messages. 'I have to go now, goodbye.'

'Bye.' With that, Akane felt unfulfilled. Curious as to who this person was, and why they didn't directly state their name nor their year. That was of course, unless it was a professor but the odds of that would be slim. Then again, what were the odds of having enchanted items that translated messages from one place to another?

She then looked at the paper and scrutinized every detail about it, perhaps it had been tampered with? But compared to the parchment on Hermione's desk it was no different. Then she looked at her quill. Had it always been such an intricate design on the nib? Yes, that was part of the reason she bought the quill. But if it wasn't the parchment, the only other option was the quill. Glancing around the class, none other seemed to have the same make and model so it was no use trying to do comparisons that way.

Eventually the class ended, Professor Binns didn't even seem to care on who actually was awake enough to leave or who was still fast asleep. She ended up having to poke Harry profusely in order to wake him up, then tapped Hermione's hand and she was up faster than a lightening bolt. The trio made their ways to the great hall, for it had been time for lunch.

The menu had changed, much to Akane's delight. There had been some sort of meat pie along with roasted vegetables and one the side perhaps, gravy. Although not starving, she didn't mind eating. That was before Ron came in speed walking with a Lavender Brown doing her best to catch up. As the pair made it to their side of the table, she could see the scowl on her face.

"Don't mind her," Harry whispered. "She's just…"

"The biggest bint I've ever met." Ginny rolled her eyes, "I swear if she tries anything again, this pie will end up in her-"

"Ginny!" Harry tried to calm down his friend's sister.

"What? Brown's being a cow about Akane being a Slytherin." Ginny complained loud enough for the walking duo to hear.

"What did you say, _Ginevra?_ " Brown looked at her dead in the eyes, as if it were supposed to intimidate Ginny.

"That you're being a cow about-"

"Gin, please." Ron begged, "Lavender didn't mean anything by-"

"Oh yes I did," Brown looked back at Akane. "I meant every word-"

"Now why don't you shut your barmy little-" Ginny stood up ready to fight but only to be held back by Akane herself. "What are you doing? Let me at her."

"It's not worth the effort," Akane looked at Ginny's emerald eyes. While Lavender silently fumed, her plans to have Akane show her true colors failed and it made her seem like the bad girl.

"I think she should apologize," Ginny didn't back down just yet. "For everything she said." Then just like that, everyone who had been listening watched Lavender like a hawk. Would she stick to Gryffindor values and keep her prejudices or would she apologize knowing that she was in the wrong?

"Lavender?" Ron nudged her slightly, even curious himself to see what she'd do. Silence isn't something normally associated with Lavender Brown, but there had been an exception seeing as she just stared down at her 'enemy.'

The pair looked at each other, knowing that Lavender wouldn't say what she should've said but still Akane didn't back down from her challenge. The battle of wits lasted, perhaps, thirty to forty seconds until Lavender snapped. Stomping her foot like an elephant she left Ron's side and left the great hall. Stunned at her childish display, Ron began to re-evaluate his almost girlfriend.

"See? She couldn't even apologize," Ginny pointed to the doors of the great hall.

"What I don't get is why Lavender hates Akane so much, I mean there's house rivalries but to be that terrible is another thing entirely." Harry piped in while Hermione agreed wholeheartedly.

"Right, I mean Lavender's Lavender, but she isn't usually that catty." Hermione began to ponder the other possibilities as to why Brown was being a bitch.

"I think it had to do with the fact that Ron-" Ginny couldn't finish due to Ron covering her mouth before she could say another thing.

"It's nothing-Owch!" Ron quickly removed his hand to reveal a bite mark.

"It's because Ron's got posters of you back at the burrow," Ginny said quickly before her brother could try to silencio he.

"Posters?" Akane almost forgot that she'd been apart of a national quidditch team.

"Oh yeah, I remember those." Harry nodded in confirmation then it suddenly dawned on him that Akane was Ron's celebrity crush. And that Lavender was being the way she is is because she did surprise visits to the burrow, she must've seen the posters and now since Akane is actually at the school; she's angry.

"You're telling me that this girl is angry over my poster being on his wall?" Akane not getting the full picture, "that's ridiculous! It's just a quidditch poster, what? Is she jealous over me being on an international team while she just… Whines?"

"Yes!" Ron confirmed but was easily contradicted by his sister's reply.

"No!"

Akane watched the two with the contradictory statements and was prepared to question it further until she realised that there were only ten minutes to eat get to her next class. Quickly shoving down food faster than the average Weasley, she then said her goodbye's and booked it.

As she ran down the halls, while making sure to speed walk around the teachers, she suddenly bumped into a tall figure. She didn't fall due to her quick reflexes but the person she bumped into did.

"I'm so sorry," Akane looked to see the attractive new professor on the floor. "Kuso."

"It's fine," he stood up then asked where she was heading.

"Defense against the dark arts," she breathed heavily. "Do you know which room it's in?"

"The second floor, near the staircase with the gargoyles."

"Thank you!" She dashed away in the other direction. As she neared the room she saw that Snape was about to close the door. Akane then bolted as fast as she could manage and was able to place a single foot in between the door.

"Mikoshiba," Severus Snape looked at her, clearly unamused. "Next time, don't be late to class."

"Yes," she breathed heavily as she entered. She saw two options presented in front of her, sit with Daphne Greengrass or draw up an awkward chair to an apologetic Cedric who was already at a filled table. Instead of invoking Snape's wrath and possibly earning a detention in the process she settled with Daphne, seeing as she wasn't as vicious as her housemates.

"May I sit here?" Akane asked while knowing to an extent that she couldn't refuse.

"Yes."


	15. Chapter 15: Dueling Lessons

"Today we will be dueling," Snape announced, lacking greeting and hesitation. "Stand up. I will be picking your partners."

Blaise stood up with a groan. Of course, leave it to Snape to go and ruin Blaise's day for the second time around. Once Snape sent Pansy off to battle the poor Bones girl, he crossed his fingers behind his back and prayed for Diggory. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. This was the perfect excuse to hex Diggory- repeatedly- without getting in trouble.

"Mikoshiba and Abbott."

Akane approached the sandy-haired girl, and the two exchanged smiles.

"Malfoy and Smith."

"Fucking hell," Malfoy cursed under his breath. It was a well-known fact that Zacharias Smith was, much like Macmillan, an annoying piece of shite.

Snape went on. "Nott and Finch-Fletchley."

Theo, too, abandoned Blaise in pursuit of his partner.

"Zabini and Diggory."

Mental fist-pump. He almost physically did one, but remember he shouldn't look happy to be paired off with a sodding Hufflepuff, and then he remembered it'd make him look an awful lot like Pucey, and he grimaced. Almost with a bounce in his step, Blaise wandered over to the so-called Golden Boy, fingers itching for his wand.

"So we meet again, Zabini," Diggory grinned.

"Yeah," Blaise nodded.

Snape finished reading off the dueling pairs, and told them to space out around the classroom. Seeing as there were several pairs and not enough space, even with the desks pushed and piled against the walls, Snape split the class in two. Blaise and Diggory were in the first dueling group, much to Blaise's pleasure.

 _The sooner, the better._

They stood facing in each other, wands in hands. Blaise mentally ran through his list of spells, dismissing any and all that qualified as "too harsh" and "too dangerous for class." He wanted to hurt Diggory a little, rough him up. Not _murder_ him.

He also didn't want to trigger the guy's probable PTSD after the whole run-in-with-Voldemort thing, so any green colored spells were also out of question.

"Get into position."

"Sounds a little sexual, doesn't it?" Pansy suggested, eyes directed at Cedric. She stood next to them, and switched between eying Cedric up and glaring at Susan Bones. Neither Hufflepuff nor Blaise were comforted by her rapid change of expressions.

Cedric frowned at her. "Coming from Snape? No, not really."

"How about from me-"

"On the count of three," Snape began. "Three."

From across the room, Blaise could hear Draco's bored drawl. He hadn't yet been called to duel. "You know, now that I think about it, we've never _dueled_ in this class before."

"Two."

Theo countered, "It's education, Draco."

"One."

Blaise's hand shot out and a " _Stupefy"_ sprang from his lips, but Diggory was quicker. He cast a shield charm, causing Blaise's spell to bounce off and hit Pansy instead. The girl shrieked a shrill " _Blaise_!"

Diggory took his momentary distraction to cast " _Aguamenti"_ and Blaise was doused in icy cold water. He quickly shot back with " _Colloshoo,"_ and Cedric's feet were immobilized.

Cedric shot another spell his way, too fast to hear, but Blaise put up a quick shield charm and sent " _Impedimente,"_ slowing Diggory's movements. During the delay, Blaise cast a drying spell over himself.

" _Stupefy!"_ Diggory shouted, but Blaise _physically_ dodged this one, nearly falling to the floor. The spell left a large smoky black stain on the wall behind him. Quickly, from the angle of the floor, Blaise shot " _Mucus ad Nauseam."_ Cedric groaned.

"Good one, Zabini!" he laughed, voice high and nose runny. Cedric rubbed at his freshly aching temples. In his mind, Blaise had an audience, and they were cheering. Just one final spell and he would win this duel.

" _Stu-"_

Snape called time, and Blaise nearly screamed. The professor ushered them to switch, adding a nasally "Quickly" at the end of his command.

 _Fuck Snape!_ Blaise's audience boomed. That wasn't a win! That was a tie! Blaise didn't want to tie! He wanted to settle this with Diggory, once and for all.

Seemed that wasn't going to happen today.

Akane, too, took position among the students along with Draco and Theo, though the girl looked considerably more intrigued than either male. Draco was sneering- as per usual- and glaring daggers at Smith, who curled a lip and glared back. Theo, however, stared Finch-Fletchley down, which made the other student quite nervous.

"Three."

Cedric sidled up and offered Zabini a hand. "Good duel, wouldn't you say?"

"Two."

Blaise blinked.

Cedric offered a weak laugh and asked, "You wouldn't happen to know the counter spell to this cold, would you?"

"One."

"No, sorry," Blaise lied. "I don't."

His attention was first captured by Draco, who always had a tendency to enter duels with an overwhelming amount of self-confidence- wrongly placed, if Blaise had anything to say about it. Sure, Draco was something close to a potions "master," but the guy sucked at dueling. It was amazing he could even _play_ quidditch, with how awful his hand-eye coordination clearly was.

" _Melofors!"_ Draco yelled, and it missed Smith by about a meter, and hit Goyle instead. Goyle's head was immediately enveloped in a pumpkin. Smith backfired with " _Morsmordre,"_ which brought offense to Draco's eyes and alarm to Snape's.

" _Well fuck you too, Smith!"_ Draco snarled, stomping towards the boy, crazy flashing in his eyes. " _What the fuck is that supposed to mean, you arse?"_

Smith only smirked and responded with " _Langlock,"_ silencing any of Draco's further words. The blond fumed and used hand motions to threaten choking the Hufflepuff.

Theo, standing a mere two meters away, was faring quite well, seeing as the bloke _had somehow learned nonverbal spells._ Startled, Blaise watched his friend tower over a weakened Finch-Fletchley, who already found the floor. The Hufflepuff stared up at Theo in fear, thoroughly terrified of the Slytherin's abilities.

Blaise looked over to Snape and found the professor watching Theo intently. Nonverbal magic was rare and extremely difficult to master. If anyone could figure it out, Blaise would've put his money on Theo or Granger.

Seems Theo got there first.

Next, Blaise found Akane among the crowd. Cedric was watching her, too, obviously. The golden boy's gaze was glued to the girl's fighting form.

She was holding her own. As was Abbott, but it was clear Akane held the lead. She battled with a mix of Latin-based spells and Japanese ones, which really threw Abbott off guard, if her expression gave anything away.

" _Shite Tai!"_ Akane shouted, and Abbott cast a quick shield charm, much to Akane's chagrin. The spell, however, bounced off the shield and flew straight towards Smith. The Hufflepuff attempted to shout yet another jinx at Draco, but his words came out in a jumble. Draco grinned, and used this opportunity to shove Smith against a wall and land a punch on his jaw.

" _Rictusempra!"_ Abbott yelled. Akane quickly erupted in giggles, and Abbott smiled at her work.

To his left, Cedric cheered. "She's laughing! Bloody hell, Zabini, she's laughing!"

"Wow," Blaise commented dryly. It _was_ a rare sight, but...

"Beautiful! I think I'm in love!"

... Diggory was being a little obnoxious.

"You alright there?" Blaise asked, only marginally concerned.

"Not sure," Cedric laughed, rubbing at the back of his neck sheepishly. "Perhaps it's the cold."

"Yeah, something like that."

Akane stifled her giggles and casted " _Musubitsukeru."_ Several invisible bounds of rope wrapped themselves around Abbott and the girl froze and started to fall.

Snape called time, and Akane cast the anti-charm to release Abbott. Right on time, too. Abbott caught her balance and offered Akane a smile. "Good duel!" Akane could only giggle in response, still suffering the effects of Abbott's jinx. Abbott laughed with her.

Simply meters away, another duel continued on, though this one was physical.

"Malfoy! Smith! Separate immediately!"

Malfoy and Smith, eager to brawl, had ignored their spell-bound obstacles and went for beating each other up instead. While Smith sported a purpling bruise on his jaw and several bruises and scratches littering his arms, Malfoy had earned himself a split lip and aching ribs. At Snape's voice, Malfoy pulled himself away from Smith with a scathing scowl and a sharp glare. Theo shook his head.

"Smith, detention!"

"Professor-" Smith pointed at Draco.

Snape blinked. "Malfoy! Minus twenty points from Slytherin."

Smith growled and Draco smirked. Before the blond could cause himself any more damage, Theo walked up and yanked him away.

Still stuck against the wall, Blaise was forced to witness Akane and Cedric's saccharine exchange.

"You did excellent out there, Akane!"

"Thanks Ced, you too." She smiled kindly.

Blaise shuddered, disgusted.

Diggory grinned back, but before he could speak, he let out a loud sneeze, the productions of which landed on Akane's robe.

Now Blaise was snorting, thoroughly amused at Diggory's misfortune.

"Akane, I'm _so_ sorry!" Cedric apologized.

"It's," she tried to hide the disgust on her face with a comforting smile. "Okay. You might have to visit Madam Pomfrey again to get rid of that cold of yours."

"Guess so." Cedric glanced over at Blaise. Jokingly, he added, "And I have this one to thank for it!"

Blaise was not having it. "I'm starting to feel like a third wheel in yet _another_ relationship, so I'm going to go." He gathered his things- quickly- and sauntered towards the door.

"Blaise, where are you going?" Draco asked. Theo had pulled him off to the side after his fight with Smith, and was trying to subtly assess the damage. They were probably also waiting for Snape, who was making his way over towards them. Blaise could only guess why.

"I'm ditching you," Blaise replied, a tad bitter. And maybe he'd just _coincidentally_ run into Weaslette before Charms, but they didn't need to know about that.

* * *

(AN): I know dueling is not part of DADA, but... this scene was hella fun to write.


	16. Chapter 16: Mikoshiba Meets Borkan

Akane took off her robe and folded it neatly in order to avoid any snot getting on any other article of clothing. Yet she felt odd, earlier she had been with Cedric making taiyaki out of all the things, but she was alright with that. Now she felt a tad bit bare. Apparently Cedric noticed her discomfort and he slid off his own to compensate for her's until it was clean.

"Are you sure, you're the sick one here." She joked while he simply kept holding it out for her.

"No, I got snot all over your's it's only fair."

"Are you sure? Are you positively-"

"If she won't take it, I will!" Pansy raised her hand in the air.

"On second thought," Akane put hers down and took the canary yellow and black robe from him. "I think that I'd like to wear it. Only until mine is clean though! Or until I can change, but that won't be until after tryouts."

"It's," Cedric coughed off to the side. "Fine."

"But you aren't, we really should get to Madam Pomfrey's otherwise you won't be able to watch for new recruits."

"Right," he sneezed again. "Bugger."

As the pair walked once again, to the infirmary to give Madam Pomfrey a run for her galleons, they walked by the new professor.

"Ms. Mikoshiba," Professor Borkan nodded in acknowledgement much to Akane's bewilderment. "Oh, stop by my office sometime. Earlier when we bumped into each other your quill fell."

"It did?" She looked in her satchel only to find him correct. "I will, Professor. What time would be best?"

Cedric simply watched from the sidelines once again, not feeling at all well about this exchange. Calculating the new 'hot' professor with eyes fit for a Slytherin, he knew that this professor was probably more than meets the eye.

"After dinner would be the easiest, after all I'm still settling in." Professor Borkan gave her a smile that melted half the girls in the hallway.

"After dinner?" Akane looked to Cedric who gave her a grin that paled in comparison to Professor Borkan. "I can't, quidditch tryouts. Maybe sometime tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow? In the morning should be fine, or lunch. I saw that your red haired friend wanted to join the Muggle Music Club with you, but your name isn't on the list." Borkan said rather disappointed.

"Ah, yes. I couldn't because everyone else was… Louder than I had been," Akane wondered where this conversation was going while remembering that Cedric was still fairly ill as he was almost leaning on her.

"Is he alright?" Professor Borkan now held Cedric's upper arm.

"He was hit with a spell that made him sick during defense against the dark arts," Akane fretted due to the fact she didn't know the counter curse.

"Were you taking him to the hospital wing?"

"Yes."

"I'll help," Professor Borkan then whipped out his wand in order to levitate the younger man. While Cedric scowled at the help of the new professor, which couldn't be seen as he was facing the roof, he couldn't help but hear what the two were planning.

"So you're the student from Mahoutokoro?" Borkan looked the girl who was wearing Diggory's robes.

"Yes."

"You speak very good English," he then continued about his own story. "I remember how bad I was at it when I was your age, it's so different from Arabic."

"You can't be much older than I am," Akane retorted. "You don't look older than twenty four."

"Looks can be deceiving," he spoke in a similar style to the mystery stranger.

"Perhaps." She then looked him over once more, "Does this mean you may be a hundred year old man, disguising as a professor?"

"I didn't say that I was a hundred," Borkan furrowed his finely arched brows while Diggory would've snorted.

"Bloody cold," Cedric muttered which went unnoticed among the chatty pair.

"You did say so yourself, that looks are deceiving." Akane shot back at the attractive teacher while noticing the glares as they walked down the halls.

"Smart girl. Tell me, why did you want to sign up for Muggle Music?"

"I actually have a fair share of knowledge about non-magical music myself, it was part of the curriculum."

"Really? Wizarding Schools in Japan seem to have it pretty well." Borkan gave her an indirect praise.

"Yes, they do." Akane then thought about their lack of training in the darker magics. But that of course was _off limits_.

"What did you learn?" Borkan entered the hospital wing while Pomfrey fussed over broken arms during Quidditch tryouts.

"The hulusi, it's a type of Chinese flute." Akane mentioned as Borkan set Cedric gently onto

the hospital bed.

"I've never heard of it," Borkan seemed to be intrigued by the mention of a new instrument. While Cedric's on again-off again migraines prevented him from _politely_ saying something dismissive. That he didn't need Borkan's help anymore.

"It's a traditional instrument, not many have heard of it. Fairly difficult to learn," Akane nodded with her years of practice with the gourd shaped flute.

"Intriguing, do you happen to have it with you?"

"No, not at the moment. Maybe in my dorm."

"If you do have it, you must drop by the office. I'd love to learn about it," Professor Borkan momentarily stunned Madam Pomfrey with his sparkling eyes.

"Did you not learn about Eastern instruments?"

"Not much," he grimaced. "Mahoutokoro is very strict on what they allow to outsiders." Much to Cedric's displeasure, Madam Pomfrey took her sweet time finding the correct potion that would dispel the whole illness. Forcing him to watch Akane hum in agreement with the new professor.

"But I'd like it very much if you'd stop by, even for a bit to tell me more about the music." Borkan looked directly into her eyes so intensely that even Madam Pomfrey had to pause once more.

"Um-"

"I have the potions dear!" Pomfrey saved Akane from a direct answer. "Just finish this up and you'll be good as new." Cedric quickly gulped down the hazardous fluid but didn't mind it as his head was finally clearing up.

"So, will you stop by Ms. Mikoshiba?" Professor Borkan was a persistent once, she'd give him that.

"I suppose sometime _tomorrow_ would be fine, morning?" Akane kept her eyes on Cedric.

Happy that she finally agreed to meeting him he replied. "Tomorrow morning it is! I must go now and finish some things. Goodbye for now, Ms. Mikoshiba."

"Goodbye," she waved off.

"Is that the rumored professor that has all the girls in a tizzy?" Pomfrey raised her brow in a funny matter.

"Madam Pomfrey!" Cedric was now able to speak.

"I'd just like to get my facts correct, Mr. Diggory. It's not every day Hogwarts receives such a young professor. Although I must add, if he was in my years as a student I wouldn't be opposed to-"

"Madam Pomfrey," Akane blushed heavily. "Please, isn't that inappropriate to speak about a teacher in such a-"

"Whatever you say dear, whatever you say." She continued to tease, watching the growing ire that had been coming out of Cedric.

"Ced," Akane rested her hand on his upper arm, much like Borkan did but Cedric wasn't appalled by her touch. But she was ready to pull the boy out of the bed just to get away from the situation she was in. "Are you alright now?"

"Yeah," he moved his legs to the side of the bed. "I'm good."

"Wait, Mr. Diggory! What did you do this time? You've landed yourself in the hospital wing twice in the two days you've been at the school." The stern matron of the hospital wing questioned.

"We dueled in D.A.D.A, Zabini hit me with a spell and we didn't know the reversal."  
"Zabini?" Pomfrey's mind began to turn gears as his name was also mentioned the last time Cedric ended up in the hospital wing, and Akane not too far away.

"Yes, now I think I have to go." Akane looked at her time-table. "Charms is close but not close enough."

"I can walk you there," Cedric offered. "My class isn't too far from it."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." Cedric held out his arm like a gent he was, then the pair left. But it didn't go unnoticed by Poppy Pomfrey that Akane Mikoshiba was wearing Cedric Diggory's robes. _Oh my!_

Charms for Akane went by without a hitch, nothing dramatic nor important had happened, with the exception of getting on good terms with Daphne Greengrass. She was unlike the others, in a sense that Daphne was not as biased. In a way, Daphne reminded her of herself. A more calm version of herself. Which meant she had at the very least one friend in her own house.

She knew it was strange for the professors to see her at the Gryffindor table at every meal chatting avidly with Ginny, Hermione, Harry; or walking with Cedric Diggory in the halls if his classes were close enough then there was smiling at Hannah Abbott after their duel. No in a malicious, mean, or scary way but in a way that spoke of mutual understanding. Inter-house mingling was something that was supposedly 'supported' by the teachers, but to actually see it in action was something new for even Dumbledore.

Dinner was a quick event for Akane, she was simply too excited to see who'd be her new teammates for the year. Although she knew inwardly that they wouldn't be as phenomenal as the Tengu, she was still overjoyed that she was able to play.

As she went towards the quidditch pitch with a sandwich from the kitchens and a bottle of water, she spotted Diggory doing dives and steep inclines that would make Hermione screech for them.

She watched him for a few more minutes and then yelled, "Ced! Cedric! Cedric! Cedric Amos Diggory!"

He came down after he heard his full name and saw that she held food in her hands. "What are you doing down here? Dinner isn't over yet."

"I didn't see you, so my hunch is correct. You're just as excited as I am," she then pushed the plate into his hands. "You need to eat at least half of it."

"But that's bad to eat right before practice-"

"You have more than half an hour, you'll be fine."

"But-"

"No buts." She watched him eat, and then began to mount her own broom. As she hovered in the air he asked.

"How did you know my full name?"

"It was on your cloak, now hurry up and eat. I wanna practice."

"You're just as impatient as I am," Cedric smiled.

"I suppose," she found the still free snitch that happened to be dilly-dallying.

"Say," Akane saw that Cedric was done with his plate and was now on his way towards her. "Are you really going to teach Professor Borkan about the flute?"

"Maybe a little, he wasn't wrong about Mahokoutoro being exclusive on who learns what." She watched the snitch like a hawk, ignoring Cedric's distaste in her answer. "Besides, he still has my quill. It'll be like killing two fish with one spear."

"I suppose." Cedric caught her line of sight, "I bet I can catch the snitch."

"What do you bet?" Akane challenged.

"Prefects get special perks, other than the tub there's this lounge. Where we can basically do whatever we want without really being caught."

"How exactly does this benefit me?" Akane smirked.

"Did I mention that this lounge is right next to the kitchens and has a secret passage to Hogsmeade?"

"I'm listening."

"I'll give you the password and location if you win, but if I win. Let's see what do I want?" Cedric tapped his chin in a fake contemplating manner.

"What can I possibly offer you, Mr. Prefect?"

"It's actually Captain Prefect," Diggory corrected.

"Right, I forgot about that." Akane lolled her eyes slightly.

"You forget that I'm the reason you're on Hufflepuff's fantastic quidditch team," he flew closer to her with a smirk that didn't really fit his face.

"Right, well then. Captain, what would you like from me if you win?"

"I kinda wanna learn how to cook something actually." He seriously contemplated.

"What?"

"I want to try making this thing called macarons, my mum brought it from France this one time. I like them but not enough to go to France for them," Cedric looked at her. "And I think I found the right chef to help me out with that."

"Macarons? I've never made those before."

"I haven't either, but I'm ready to try!" He replied with enthusiasm.

"Sorry Ced, but that snitch is mine."

"We'll see about that Akane."


	17. Chapter 17: Shag Lists

Unfortunately, Weaslette was nowhere to be found before Charms. Whatever. He'd track the girl down later, after dinner.

Charms flew by, surprisingly. Flitwick went over a lot of review from the year before and brought up the required Apparition class they had to take, which would replace Charms starting next month.

After class, Blaise ditched the Ambiguously Gay Duo- copyrighted, prepare to get sued- again, dodged Daphne's judgmental stare, and slipped out the door before the harpy known as Pansy could latch onto him.

Now to find the She-Weasel.

Gryffindor didn't have Quidditch today, or so he thought, and classes officially let out for the day. It was still early in the year, so none of the students could visit Hogsmeade yet, and unless she had followed her obnoxious brother and the rest of the Potty Crew to that giant's house on the edge of grounds, she was bound to be somewhere in the castle. So Blaise retraced his steps and went to the place he found her yesterday.

The library. Well, not quite, but close.

He took the stairs up to the fourth floor hallway, careful to take note of any passing student with remotely red hair. Once there, he paced around a bit, sneaking glances into empty classrooms and alcoves. He even stepped foot into the library, but that turned out to be a dud too. Granger was there, and he almost asked her where her friend was, but that thought lasted a mere second. No way could Blaise do that. It'd raise questions.

Not feeling up to dealing with his own housemates- emphasis on Pucey- Blaise went back down the stairs and made way for the kitchens. He wasn't feeling up to eating either, as per usual, so when he entered the house-elf filled room, he only requested some water and some chips.

"Will that be all, Master Zabini?" Dobby asked, having recognized him from those early years spent at the Malfoy Manor. Blaise never had anything against the elf. He didn't think Draco did either, but it was hard to tell by the way Lucius treated the poor creature.

"Yeah, thanks Dobby," Blaise offered a weak smile, taking a seat at one of the small tables against the wall. The mass of house elves went about business as usual, eagerly preparing the large Hogwarts feast. Blaise clenched his jaw and turned away from the food.

His stomach grumbled.

Dobby came back with the food and set it down on the table. Instead of returning to work, though, the elf stared up at him, thin fingers fiddling with the hem of his garment.

Blaise looked back at him. "Dobby?"

"Master Zabini, a Missus Mikoshiba came down here earlier," Dobby started, and Blaise curled a lip. _How did he know her full bloody name?_ "She's a Slytherin-"

"Yeah, I know her," Blaise interrupted the elf with a heavy sigh. Blaise's negative vibes caused the elf to pout and Blaise quickly apologized. "Sorry, Dobs. She and I don't get along. Thanks, though."

Dobby flashed a quick, watery smile and dashed back off to work.

Akane this, Akane that. Blaise couldn't catch a break.

Instead of returning to the common room, Blaise chose to wander around the school again, determined to get some alone time.

He wandered up a few flights of stairs, putting him back on the fourth floor. Several students poured in and out of the library doors, eager to get a headstart on this year's assignments. Blaise wandered in behind a group of fifth-year Ravenclaws and took a lap around the room.

Apart from a few first years, the entirety of Slytherin House had chosen other places to hang out for the evening. Gryffindor was absent too, as was most of Hufflepuff, due to quidditch tryouts. Ravenclaw, on the other hand, was anything but scarce.

Ravenclaw was an alright house. They held the self-respect that Slytherin did, except they weren't as fun. Blue was a decent color, too, if Blaise had anything to say about it.

"Zabini." Padma Patil poked her head out from behind a bookshelf and offered a wave. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

Blaise shrugged. "Nothing else to do."

She glanced around him. "Where are your friends?"

"Snogging in a broom closet, probably."

Padma laughed, a small smile creeping across her lips.

Blaise liked Padma. He couldn't say the same about her annoying sister, who was in cahoots with Lavender Brown. But Padma was alright: intelligent, calm, open-minded, and she had a wicked sense of humor she rarely let show. They first met sometime in third year (after the Great Hall chaos from the first day) in Transfiguration and had been acquaintances since.

Sometimes more, when the situation called for it. Padma, much like the new addition known as Weaslette, was often one of Blaise's _special_ friends.

Not today, though.

"Tell me you didn't sign up for that new club," Blaise complained.

She laughed again. "No, but I believe my sister did."

"You aren't your sister."

"Perhaps not, but you'd be surprised how many still mix us up," Padma countered. She held a stack of books in her arms, all focused on ghouls. Padma noticed his line of sight and explained. "I'm actually taking Ghoul Studies this year. I've heard it's fascinating."

"Theo took it last year," Blaise noted. "It's a club, right?"

Padma nodded. "Professor Phasma teaches it, first floor. It focusses on ghosts and ghouls and the like." She cocked her head and considered him. "Would you like to take it with me? First meeting is in October."

Blaise shrugged. "I'll think it over."

"Alright," Padma said. "Mind helping me with my books, then?" Blaise quickly took half of the stack of books and followed her to her table, where she was sitting with Anthony Goldstein and Sue Li. He set his stack on the table and took a step back, giving the other two students a onceover.

"Zabini," Goldstein greeted bluntly.

"Goldstein," Blaise replied, then jerked his chin at Li. "Li."

"Hi," she said, awkwardly.

This was uncomfortable. "See you, Patil."

She gave him a knowing smile. "Bye, Zabini."

His visit to the library was an essential waste of time, but it was nice seeing Padma. He'd have to ask Theo about Ghoul Studies later. Honestly, he might just take it. It'd give him something to do.

* * *

Returning to the the Slytherin common room felt like defeat. He could hear Pansy from down the dungeon hallway.

"Pans!" Blaise shouted upon entry. "Shut the _fuck up,_ would you?"

She whipped around on the couch to glare at him. "That's a bit _rude,_ Blaise."

"I don't care. I can hear you from the sodding hallway."

Pansy huffed. "Glad to know _someone_ is listening." She shot a glare at Bulstrode.

"I _am_ Pans, I swear-"

"No, I can see the dazed look in your eye," Pansy snapped. Turning her attention to Blaise, Pansy explained, "I was telling Millicent about the update on my shag list."

"I thought your priority was Pucey," Blaise said, remembering a certain conversation from the train car.

Pansy laughed mockingly. "That's before I remembered what a looney he was. Quidditch this, Quidditch that." She waved a dismissing hand in the air. "No, now I want Borkan."

"Good luck with that," Tracey Davis snorted. "Last I heard, the professor had eyes for Akane."

"Of _course,"_ Pansy snarled, nearly shuddering with rage. "It's always Akane. She got Cedric, what more does she need?"

Bulstrode pursed her lips and shook her head in irritation.

With a final roll of her eyes, Pansy changed the subject. "What about you, Blaise? How's your shag list?"

"None of your business," Blaise replied, but her question got him thinking. There was Weaslette and Padma. Daphne was a past fling, but since she started fooling around with Goldstein- she tried to hide it, but Blaise knew, simply because Padma told him- she's out. There were a few upperclassmen Blaise knew, but they graduated. He'd been with Cho a few times, before she had that thing with Diggory fourth year, and last year Blaise had nice run-in with Katie Bell under the bleachers during a Ravenclaw versus Hufflepuff quidditch game. There was also Viola Richmond, and she was fun, only a year younger and in Slytherin, but once she found out she swung the other way, things stopped. Understandably.

Unintentionally, Blaise avoided Hufflepuff like the plague- thank Diggory for that- which crossed out a whole population of the school.

 _What about Akane?_

At first, he blanched and felt the urge to gag, but once he thought about it, he realized that the girl wasn't _that_ bad on the eyes. Sure, she was odd, and held no regards for how things should be done, but apparently she was nice, or something. She would have to be to win Diggory over like that, and with the obvious following she's built over a mere two days?  
The girl was doing something right.

So maybe Akane was a _little_ attractive. So what? Since fifth year, Granger's been smoking, but he still loathes her. At least Akane was a Slytherin, and he could like, _try_ to talk to her.

Immediately, he shook his head and cleared away those betraying thoughts. His mental voice barked out a laugh. Him with Akane? Ha! The idea was nearly as ridiculous as the thought of Draco and Pansy.

Nearly.

"Well, fine, if you're going to be like that," Pansy harrumphed. "I know a few girls- _and guy_ s- who would _love_ to get with you."

He deadpanned. "Does that make you feel empowered or something?"

"Definitely something," Pansy grinned.

* * *

(AN): We also don't own the Ambiguously Gay Duo title- that's from a cartoon skit on SNL.


	18. Chapter 18: Jerry Hotter

Akane waltzed back from quidditch tryouts, not only had she cemented her spot on the team and erased any doubts on her being a spy for Slytherin, she also had the password for her new study lounge.

"Daphne," Akane nodded with a smile as she entered the common room.

"Akane." She looked up from her muggle book.

"What are you reading?"

"Jerry Hotter and the Magician's Wand," Daphne didn't bother to hide her interest. "It's actually quite good. For a muggle writer that is."

"Jerry Hotter?" Daphne then showed her a page. "-And he firmly grasped his wand-"

"Wrong page!" She blushed, "I didn't see that yet. Merlin they're finally going to do it!"

"Oh my," Akane then looked at Daphne. "When did you pick that book up?"

"I heard a few Ravenclaws giggling about it, and I must admit… It's quite a read," Daphne closed the book for a second to breathe.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, it's just a little… Steamy."

"What in blazes is that?" Parkinson suddenly entered the room. "A muggle book? Greengrass how could you?"

"It's actually mine," Akane replied for Daphne. "She was holding it for me."

"Mikoshiba, of course it'd be you." She sneered. "First hanging out with Potter and friends, then shacking up with Diggory, and finally attacking the professor-"

"I'm not with any of them." Akane scrunched her brows at the accusations.

"Please, I heard about those music lessons!" Pansy's argument continued.

"He just wants to learn the hulusi." Akane then explained how rare it was to find one of those instruments in the west.

"She's right you know, it's a flute that isn't all that common here." Daphne backed her up.

"Are you defending her Greengrass?"

"What if I am, what will you do about it?" Daphne stood her her full height knowing Pansy was a shite dueler if it came down to that.

"What will you do about it?" Akane stood next to Daphne's side. "I can't say that I'm not curious."

"What-" Pansy was shocked that the pair teamed up against her and without Bulstrode she wouldn't stand much of a chance.

"Girls, girls." Adrian suddenly popped in. "What are you fighting about- Hufflepuff? Mikoshiba! How could you betray your own house?"

"You said that I was late and there were no exceptions," Akane reminded.

"Still, that doesn't mean you have to go and join Diggory's team! I mean we'll still roast you but that doesn't mean you gotta try joining their team." Adrian complained.

"Roast us? No, Adrian you've got it the wrong way around. We'll be the one's destroying you to smithereens," Akane didn't back down from Adrian's puffed up chest. The pair continued on smack talking while Daphne disappeared. Pansy not the one used to being ignored tried to jump in the conversations adding in pathetic insults that would be briefly acknowledged by familiars of the Slytherin household.

"It doesn't matter Mikoshiba, I'll be stealing those quaffles from you faster than you could even imagine."

"Really Pucey? You must've been hit in the head with a bludger to think that!"

"Me-What? I've played every single position known to man in the quidditch pitch, there would be absolutely no way I'd get hit with a bludger, you? Maybe," Adrian denied.

"I've been the backup Seeker only behind Tomoda Katsushi, I'm probably faster and more skilled than you'd ever wished to be you twit!"

Adrian highly offended got face to face with the woman who dissed his skills as a quidditch player. "Just because you were on the Toyohashi Tengu doesn't mean you run the whole damn quidditch world!"

"It kind of does, who do you think's been keeping the trophy polished?" Akane smirked, "This is probably why no one wants to ever play quidditch with you."

"Sure they do! Draco, Blaise, I'm still trying to get Theo on the team, but Daphne and Tracey are always at practice." Adrian smiled proudly at their stunned expressions and decided to leave before she could form an argument.

"That dolt," Pansy murmured.

"Tell me about it, you'd think he'd know about it by now." Akane agreed for once with Pansy.

"Probably still a virgin… That'll be interesting," Pansy then put her thinking face on.

"Right, well." Akane left the common room ready to hit the showers.

As she let the sweat and grime of practice fall away, she couldn't help but be ready for the new day of tomorrow. Because then, she'd be one step closer to actually practicing with her new teammates. As she finished up cleaning herself up she saw that Daphne was on her bed leaning against the frame blushing.

"Is it a good book?" Akane sat down on her own mattress which happened to be next to the girl in question.

"It is, actually," Daphne replied, setting down the novel.

"Which part are you on?"

"Well," Daphne started, her face erupting into flames. "I'm about halfway through. Jerry and this girl, her name's Hera, they sort of… work together. Sexually." Daphne grinned. "They have a binding contract."

"Is it the part in the classroom or at the principal's desk?" Akane watched as Daphne re-open the book.

Daphne's brows lifted, surprised. "The dorms. I didn't realize you read it."

"How could I not? It's a bestseller in Japan for a reason, they're even making a live action movie for it," Akane fanned herself with her hand. "I hope they use Tanner Laughter for the role of Jerry, his abs are delicious."

"Really?" Daphne asked, then: "I always pictured more of a Charlie Helmswork guy."

"Either way," Akane waggled her brows in a funny way. "I wouldn't mind much. Especially if they're into hard core sessions of quidditch practice."

Daphne hummed suggestively. "I can get behind that." She paused. "So. You've been here two days. What are your thoughts on the students? Have you paired any off, because," Daphne giggled, "I sure have."

"I always thought that Harry and Hermione should finally get together, you?"

"Oh everyone thinks so, they're practically engaged. Me?" Daphne shrugged. Her reply was one of sarcasm. "I always thought Pansy deserved someone similar to her, like the Weasley boy or Macmillan."

"Macmillan? Weasley is a bit too much for Pansy in my opinion, plus there's that bint Lavender Brown who's much too crazy to even let a girl other than his sister come close." Akane waved away that idea.

"Fair," Daphne agreed. "There are some rather interesting people here."

"And you?" Akane then clarified. "Who are you with? I can't imagine you still being single, so who is it?"

Daphne offered a small smile. "Well, it's a secret, but I have a thing with Anthony Goldstein. We're being quiet about it for now. But I've been around."

"Do tell," Akane leaned forward in excitement.

Daphne resituated herself on her bed, leaning forward eagerly. In a conspiratorial whisper, Daphne continued, "I've slept with _both_ Weasley twins, a lad from Durmstrangs, and Blaise. I've made out with Pucey- on a _dare-_ and Higgs, back when he was still around. I think I was also Theo's first kiss."

"Experienced," Akane then furrowed her brows. "Zabini? Really? He seems like he has a stick up his arse everytime I see him. I can't imagine what'd be like to actually sleep with him."

"He's just in a right mood nowadays," Daphne explained. "He's usually more Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome. Bit of a player, but he minds his own business and he's not one to gossip. In bed, he's rather brilliant."

"Still, it's hard for me to believe that. Especially when his foul mood extends to anyone but his friend group, even to Ced. And Ced is the nicest guy in the whole school," Akane threw her hands up in the air for the dramatic effect.

Daphne shrugged. "Blaise has had beef with Diggory since fourth year. He sees it as a sort of 'who's the best looking' competition, not that it actually exists. It's a one-sided issue that Blaise refuses to get over, but denies exists when asked."

"Then he clearly lost to the new professor," she snorted. "Professor Borkan had already won over every available female in Hogwarts, even some of the committed ones. If looks weren't enough they still swoon over his cultured sense and I bet some of the Ravenclaw girls are writing fanfictions about how he would serenade them."

The blonde raised a brow. "Much of a fan, yeah?" She laughed. "Borkan certainly has his charm, and it's no doubt the girls are buying, but it doesn't help Blaise. From what I understand, he's got some deep-rooted issues. Most of them do, anyway."

"Most people do, Daphne." Akane tilted her head to the side, "it's what shapes their character, particularly on how they act on it."

Shaking her head, Daphne tried again. "Yes, but Akane, not like this. There are a lot of problems in Wizarding Britain that aren't anywhere else in the world."

"Other than some sort of dark man running around trying to recruit random wizards, I'm not entirely sure if I understand what you're saying."

"Not so random," Daphne said. "The Malfoys, the Notts, the Crabbes, the Goyles. All of their families are involved in He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's plans."

"Which are? To what? Take over wizarding Britain?" She snorted.

Daphne didn't look very impressed by her reaction. "Yes. It's real, you know, and people are suffering for it. The Dark Lord to Muggles and Muggleborns is how Hitler was to the Jews and who he persecuted."

"War among the human race is inevitable, regardless. It all comes down to greed with everyone involved or not involved at all."

"I'm glad you can look at the impending war with such a dissociated view, but that's not how we see it. Here, Slytherin is placed on the bad side. Most of our families have false views and are siding with the wrong team. Because of that- you've seen it- the school avoids us." Daphne sighed. "Yes, war is inevitable, but it's here now, and we're living it."

"I suppose," Akane replied, unable to find a better response. But it did pique her curiosity about this Dark Lord, what made him so fearsome and why?

"If I were you, I'd do what I can to stay out of it," Daphne said, eyes weary. "My family and our friends have suffered enough. Students here have suffered." She paused. "Has Cedric told you about the tournament?"

"No," she looked at Daphne. "He didn't… I heard about what happened in the news a few years back, but that was it. Japan had their own problems to worry about."

Daphne nodded. "That's understandable. I'll leave that for you to ask him. It's not my place."

"You won't tell me a thing about what happened to him in the tournament, will you?"

"No," Daphne replied, shaking her head. "I may be a Slytherin, but I'm not a bitch. It's not my place, and therefore, I won't tell you anything he doesn't want you to know."

"Cunning and clever, the truest traits reveal themselves in the form of Daphne Greengrass," Akane flopped onto her bed.

"I suppose you could say that," Daphne offered a weak laugh. " _However,_ if you have questions regarding the dirt of Pansy or Draco, I will be more than glad to share. The two rant about their personal dilemmas on a daily basis."

"I've noticed." Akane began to snuggle into her blanket, "those two either have some real anger issues to work out or something and I don't think any quidditch practice would help either of them."

Here, Daphne let out a bark of unrestrained laughter. "No way! Those two are friends, deep down. Their form of communication is bickering and complaining, that's all."

"I suppose." Akane let out a yawn, "I think I'll fall asleep soon. So goodnight."

"Goodnight," Daphne replied and not much later there was a shriek by their very own Pansy Parkinson.

"Bloody woman," Daphne heard Akane mutter sleepily to which she stifled a giggle for her roommate's sake.


	19. Chapter 19: This is my zone, Zabini

Blaise woke up on Wednesday two hours too early to low voices.

Confused, he sat up in his bed and felt around in his sheets for his wand. The dorm room was still pitch black- _too sodding early-_ and he needed some light if he was going to do anything about what caused his rude awakening.

The voices continued. Blaise's brows pulled together. He swears, if Goyle was going through his night terror phase again, he might just have to suffocate the kid.

His fingers found his wand and he cast a gravelly " _Lumos"_ and the voices stopped.

Odd.

Blaise reluctantly pushed his curtain back and rolled out of bed. He glanced around the dark room, but it was hard to see much of anything with such a small light and the heavy green glow coming in from the windows peeking into the Black Lake. So he started walking around the room, careful of the furniture and haphazard items strewn about. Such as more of Theo's books, Draco's Nimbus, Goyle's mysterious duffel bag, Crabbe's bouncy ball collection, various assignments and the like. Stuff like that.

He wandered over towards Goyle's bed near the door, and found the gorilla fast asleep in his bed, silent. On the other side of the door slept Crabbe, who only uttered soft snores. Then Theo's bed, which was empty, and Draco's which was quiet.

Wait a bloody minute.

"I swear to Merlin…" Blaise mumbled, deeply unimpressed. He approached Draco's bed and yanked the curtain back, revealing two very familiar faces. "Damn you two."

"G'morning, Blaise," Theo greeted, like this _wasn't awkward at all._ Draco, on the other had, possessed some semblance of understanding and tried so very hard to bury in face in the rumpled blankets.

Blaise deadpanned and observed the suggestive position his two friends were in. "Fuck, I thought this was a joke."

"Nope," Theo replied. He was a bit giddy. _Too_ giddy for anyone to healthily be at five o'clock in the morning. Draco, flustered beyond belief, took his pillow and shoved it on his face.

"So is this what you've been doing?" Blaise asked. He, too, felt awkward, and rubbed at his neck uncomfortably. Really, he hadn't expected this at all. "I thought you had joined a cult or were planning a surprise party or something."

Theo shook his head. "No, sorry. Are you disappointed?"

"More, uh, surprised."

" _Can you leave?"_ Draco's hiss was muffled, coming from underneath the pillow.

Blaise was quick to move. "Gladly."

"Bye Blaise!" Theo lifted one of his arms to offer a wave, then pulled the curtain back shut.

A tad disturbed, and now _fully awake,_ Blaise abandoned the dorm room, wand still gripped tightly in hand. Did he know something was up between the two? Yeah, that much was obvious. Did he think they were actually _shagging?_ Merlin, no. Where did that even come from? When did they-

 _No,_ Blaise's inner voice told him. He didn't want to know. He supposed it was better than the two of them becoming Death Eaters, so honestly, it could be worse. But his two best friends, shagging?

That's an eye opener. He didn't even realize Theo was gay. Draco he guessed, only because the blond was so ridiculously dramatic.

Blaise wandered down the short hallway into the dark common room, expecting to be alone. He wasn't. There Daphne stood, eyes wide, deer-in-headlights style. She was frozen and probably hoping he wouldn't see her.

He did.

"Morning, Blaise," Daphne said, stiffly, clothes rumpled and hair a mess.

He knew the signs of an escapade when he saw one. "Not you, too."

"What?" she asked, understandably confused. "Blaise, don't say anything, please."

Tired, he nodded and blinked blearily. "Yeah, sure, whatever."

Relieved, Daphne flashed him a grateful smile and ran off towards her dorm, leaving Blaise alone. He swayed over to the couches in front of the fireplace and plopped down on one, leaning back against one of the arms and staring blankly into the green flames.

Honestly, _what?_ Blaise had been awake not even ten minutes and today already seemed like a shite day. The deities were really out to get him, it seemed. Did he wrong someone over the summer? Was this his punishment?

Behind him, a door opened and shut, and in bustled Pucey, decked out in quidditch practice gear with broom in one hand and box in the other. He almost made it to the door without noticing Blaise, but spotted his housemate last minute and eyed him questionably.

"Zabini?" Pucey asked carefully, coming over to him and peering down. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Eh," Blaise grunted.

"You don't look too well," Pucey added. "I was going to say 'almost like you've seen a ghost' but I realized that was a bad reference, seeing as there _are_ ghosts here-"

"Pucey."

Adrian cut himself off. "Right. Sorry." He glanced around the common room and frowned. "I was just about to go up to the pitch. Want to come with?"

"Actually, yeah," Blaise said. A distraction would be nice, and if anything, Pucey would either lure him into a fast paced quidditch game or lull him to sleep with his adamant quidditch speak.

Pucey was surprised. "Wow, alright, cool. C'mon then. Need your gear?"

"I'd rather not go back in there."

Pucey only raised a brow.

* * *

As expected, the Quidditch field was completely empty. Adrian walked out from under the stands with his arms spread wide, head held up towards the sky. It was rather grey out today, indicating rain for later in the day.

"This is my _zone,_ Zabini," Pucey declared, like Blaise didn't already know. "It's like a home to me. I love quidditch. It's almost all I know."

Blaise didn't care enough to differ.

"Here," Pucey jerked a thumb back towards the changing rooms. "Grab a broom from storage. When was the last time you _flew_?"

"Final game last year," Blaise replied. He stepped back into the Slytherin changing room and grabbed one of the spare Nimbuses. It held a hefty weight in his hand, warm and familiar. He stepped back out and Pucey whistled.

"You always did look best with a broom in your hands, Zabini," Pucey grinned.

" _What the fuck-"_

Pucey ignored him and crouched down by the box, opening it up. Inside sat a quaffle, two bludgers, and the snitch, all strapped in and placed properly. Probably polished, too, if this was Pucey's own set. "Alright then," Pucey unbuckled the strap around the quaffle and pulled it out. "Keeper or Chaser?"

"Keeper," Blaise chose.

"Fantastic," Pucey nodded. He held the Quaffle in his hand, and shut the box with his other. "Go on up there and guard."

Blaise mounted the broom and flew up to the three large golden hoops. Pucey was quick to follow, grinning wide.

"You ready?" Pucey shouted, several meters away.

Blaise gave a thumbs up.

Excited, Pucey launched the Quaffle from his right hand, sending it spiraling towards the second tallest hoop. Blaise didn't move to block it, and the ball flew straight through the hoop.

"Zabini!" Pucey yelled, disappointed but thrilled his throw scored. "You're supposed to _keep!"_

"Yeah yeah," Blaise nodded, soaring down to catch the Quaffle. He tossed it back to Pucey and resumed position.

"Ready?"

"You don't have to ask me-"

Pucey flung the Quaffle towards the tallest hoop, and the only move Blaise made was to dodge its soaring path.

"Merlin, Zabini! You're not even playing!"

Blaise repeated his actions from before, and tossed the Quaffle Adrian's way. Pucey caught it with waiting hands.

This repetitive practice went on for a bit of time until the clouds rolled in and it started to drizzle. Bummed, Pucey spiraled towards the ground, Blaise following close behind.

"I think we got some good practice in," Pucey noted. "We should go against Malfoy and Nott sometime."

" _Shite,_ Pucey, they don't play quidditch together," Blaise snapped, a little bit exhausted with the whole thing. "They're _shagging_."

"Re _ally?"_ Adrian asked, disbelief evident on his face. The two walked into the Slytherin changing room and dried off. "Would've never guessed."

Blaise grunted.

"S'pose it makes sense, though," Pucey added, as an afternote. "They always did seem a little absorbed in each other."

" _How-"_

Pucey halted in his thoughts. " _Though..._ Nott has some extraordinary upper arm muscles. Are you sure they aren't practicing on the side?"

" _Yes,_ I'm sure."

"Weird," Pucey commented, shaking his head. "Are you coming to breakfast?"

"No, I'll stop by the kitchens," Blaise replied, with no intention to do that either.

Pucey shrugged. "Suit yourself."

* * *

It was one of _those_ days, the ones that dragged on and never seemed to end. Blaise didn't feel like talking, or eating, or paying attention. He passed Weaslette on the way to lunch and she winked at him but his brain wasn't working fast enough and he just strolled past her.

Draco was concerned it was because of them. Blaise assured them it wasn't. Theo watched him with those over-calculating eyes, like he was waiting for something to happen. Blaise ignored him. Daphne, too, kept glancing at him, but he ignored her too.

Once lunch ended, he left without a word and sat in the back of his next class, which was Herbology. Students flowed into the class at an alarming rate. Sprout introduced the lesson. Blaise didn't pay attention, only noticing the cactus in front of him when the professor was done speaking.

"Looks prickly," Blaise commented. Theo snorted.

Pansy bristled. "You should try touching it, Blaise."

"Why the fuck would I touch a cactus?" Blaise asked, but he still stuck a finger towards it anyway. One of the pricks jabbed his finger, and before he could spot the blood pooling on his fingertip, everything went dark.


	20. Chapter 20: Sleeping Beauty

"Ms. Mikoshiba, can you please bring Mr. Zabini into the infirmary?"

"Can't Draco-" Akane looked to the other man who was next to Zabini's fallen form.

"No bloody way, what if there's something that turns me purple or something? Better you than me," Draco looked at her.

"What? You pansy," Akane scrunched her brows.

"What?" Pansy's head shot up like a rocket. "Someone say my name?"

"Ms. Mikoshiba please bring him now," Professor Sprout then added. "Otherwise I'll take off points."

"Mikoshiba! I'll give you a shite ton of galleons if you take him," Draco shoved her slightly. "I'll give you twenty galleons if you do, after class you have my word." At that Daphne raised her brow.

"Fine," one spell later she was walking with sleeping beauty down the ever familiar halls of the infirmary. She had wondered exactly how many times has she seen Madam Pomfrey and how many more times she will see her if things like this kept up. As she entered and somewhat gently set Blaise onto the bed, she waited for Pomfrey to make her rounds.

"And what seems to be the problem here Ms. Mikoshiba?" Pomfrey gave her a strange look.

"He touched a plant and went down like a-"

"Alright, which one is it?"

"Um," Akane tried her best to remember what exactly the plant was called but only remembered what it looked like. "It was a cactus, some had violet flowers sprouting from the sides and the needles were very long."

"The Aurora Cactus?"

"Sure?" Akane replied not so sure of the answer herself.

"Oh my," Pomfrey then touched on of her cheeks. "You'll have to kiss him dear."

"What?" Akane looked at the mediwitch as if she were insane.

"'Tis true, the Aurora Cactus puts whomever touches it to sleep until someone kisses them, on the lips I may add. No cheating and kissing him on the cheeks," Pomfrey watched her attitudes change from panic to absolute disgust.

"Someone else can do it," she thought of calling Daphne down knowing their history. Then again Daphne was with Anthony and that wouldn't be fair, who else was apart of his various affairs? She had to wonder.

"Come now, there are no known working potions." Pomfrey looked at her expectantly, "besides I'm sure Cedric will understand that it was for the sake of a friend."

 _Friend?_ Akane almost choked on air.

"I don't think that's necessary," she did her best to get out of the situation. "I'm sure there are other girls more than willing to steal a kiss. I'm just not one of them," Akane looked at the man on the bed.

"But dear, if you're worried about Cedric he would certainly understand." Pomfrey had a mischievous look on her face. "Besides if I were you, I don't think that it'd be such a problem. After all Blaise is only a housemate after all, _right?"_

"Yes, and no. I won't kiss this man," she looked at his cold dead looking face. "I hope you can hear me!"

"I wonder if he does?" Pomfrey then started to leave their section as more students entered. "You know the cure. I'll leave you to it."

 _Bloody twat,_ she waited for an hour and nothing. He didn't move, he didn't even twitch when she flicked his head, it didn't even seem like he was _breathing_. She sat there for the remainder of the day and watched as Madam Pomfrey conveniently skip their section as she made her round. Days like these were the days she wished to know more about what was in the rumor mill and then maybe perhaps she would know who Zabini had slept with and who wouldn't be opposed to kissing him to wake his stupid arse up.

She had involuntarily skipped lunch due to Pomfrey's adamant reply that she should stay with him if she was so sure that he'd wake up without any interventions. Soon came dinner and she was more than starving, her breakfast was on the lighter side seeing as her monthly began and eating in large portions caused her stomach to ache.

"Bloody christ," she suddenly stood up. "If you do hear me and remember this, I will personally throw you off of the Gryffindor tower, or feed you to the dragons, whichever comes first." Then swift like a bird she pecked his lips and furiously rubbed her own with her sleeve. Waiting came and she watched as her sacrifice went into bloody vain.

"Madam Pomfrey!" She yelled, "Why isn't this teme waking up yet?"

"It might take a few moments. Now why are you rubbing your lips like that?"

"I'm erasing all traces of this _buso,_ " Akane continued to rub away waiting for him to awaken. Not long after Blaise slowly began to see again.

"Fuck," he groaned.

Akane wanted to say something along the lines of ' _Welcome bloody back you shite.'_ But Pomfrey would've undoubtedly told someone who could take away house points from them so she stayed silent.

"Welcome back," Madam Pomfrey smiled motherly while Akane glared at the curtains across the room.

"What happened?" he asked, voice gravelly and eyes bleary.

"You touched the Aurora Cactus," Pomfrey then explained the process of what happened and the only known cure for it. While Akane was ready to hit the halls, slowly she inched away from the bed but Pomfrey called her out on it. "Akane, don't you want to escort Blaise back to the dorms? He still might have a bit of the poison in his veins. Wouldn't want something bad to happen." While Akane inwardly groaned.

"No, please," Blaise grunted, clutching his head. "Go ahead. No need to wait."

"No I insist! The poor girl's been here waiting for you the whole day, she might as well be the one to take you back. Perhaps you could sneak to the kitchens first, I'm sure dinner has already ended." Pomfrey stopped his motion.

He froze momentarily. "Uh, thanks, but I'm fine. Really."

"Are you now?" Pomfrey gave him a smile that could set the Gryffindor common room completely frozen.

"Look, lady," Blaise began, rather disrespectfully. "I've had a long day, and now I've got a _sodding_ headache, so if you want to play matchmaker, great. But not today."

"Even more the reason for your _housemate_ to bring you to your dorms."

"If he doesn't need me then it should be fine," Akane muttered in the background while the heated stare of the mediwitch and student took place.

Blaise gestured to her. "See, look. I don't need her, and I certainly don't need dinner. I'm just going to go, _by myself_." He moved to stand. As quickly as he stood up he fell down.

"I thought so, the poison is still in your veins. Akane bring him back to the dorms, after some rest he'll be fine." Before Akane could protest Madam Pomfrey left.

"Bloody me and all these situations," Akane took out her wand to levitate him.

" _Don't_ you _dare_ , Mikoshiba," Blaise hissed. "Keep that blasted wand away from me."

"And here he goes again," she gestured to him. "You help the _bosu_ to the medical wing, you even stay by his side so he recovers, you even become part of the process. But the teme is still hostile, not even one bit of thankful."

He scowled. "Never asked for your help. You've done your part- thanks, I suppose- and now you can leave me be."

"Right, of course." She started her way out, equally frustrated as she had been walking in. Perhaps even on the verge of tears, _I wasted my favorite chapstick on that bosu._ Digging through her pockets she found that the balm was absent and knowing that she'd been in the wing the whole day, that's probably where it'd fallen. Her pride was at stake but her favorite balm was somewhere there with _him._ It was a parting gift from Yuko, and that meant that it was probably the most expensive thing she owned. _Blasted Italians,_ she practically stormed her way back to search high and low for her balm much to Zabini's confusion.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking." Her short cut reply was something new, even for her. Then again she never had someone despise her the way he does. He simply laid there waiting for his limbs to respond to his wants but as he did, he did his best to ignore her shuffles and grunts of anger. Slightly licking his lips, he tasted something unusual.

 _Refreshing feeling with a hint of something else, sweet?_ Blaise then recalled how Pomfrey said something about the only cure. Horror dawned on his face and he realised where the strange taste came from.

After Akane found her little lychee balm and didn't bother looking at Blaise as she made her way out once more.

Frustration was boiling with the young girl. She'd moved to Wizarding Britain not two weeks ago, introduced and was supposed to immediately assimilate to their ways, all while dealing with short tempered angry people. She wasn't nearly as close to anyone else as she was to Yuko, given it'd only been a few days since she'd met people her age but still.

Ginny was a friend of her's. She was close to her, a little more than Harry or Hermione. But Harry, Hermione, and Ron already had something established before she came so she couldn't expect something from them right off the bat. While Cedric didn't really count, if anything he was more of a suitor, although still a friend. The bond isn't the same.

Starving. Frustrated. And Angry with her last encounter with that teme.

Suddenly she found herself in the kitchens eating away at whatever had been served for dinner and dessert. Tippy had been absent but as she was, she ranted about her problems to a certain elf named Dobby.

"And you know what happens next Dobby?"

"What is it Missus Mikoshiba," he sat like a good therapist.

"He get's all bloody angry at me like it was my fault," she scooped another spoonful of bread pudding into her mouth. "I just helped him. I even gave that bloody bastard my first kiss, I couldn't even have one good memory. Not one. And once I was ready to give it to Tomoda, he goes and leaves me for another _yariman_. I wished it'd been Cedric, then I would've been so much happier."

"Missus Mikoshiba-"

"Akane." She interrupted him.

"Missus Akane," Dobby corrected himself. "Maybe Master Blaise is troubled as well?"

"Troubled? With what?" Akane finished the pudding and continued on to the tart.

"Perhaps Master Blaise has been through some stress himself, Missus Akane." Dobby looked at the empty dishes. "He's a good Master, Dobby knows this for it to be true."

"How Dobby? How? He treats me as if I murdered his whole family," Akane continued to wallow in her own worries. "I just don't get it."

"Dobby know's young Missus is very hurt over Master's choices, but you should not fret. Dobby knows that once young Master has fixed his problem he shall apologize to young Missus. But if he doesn't Dobby will gladly go scold young Master for not being a gentleman." The elf threatened half-heartedly but is was good enough for Akane to crack a smile.

Sooner than later, Dobby ushered Akane out and sent her directly to bed. Seeing as it was much passed the acceptable hours. Yet she really didn't listen to his words as she was finally alone in the great halls of Hogwarts, by herself with an open period in the morning she didn't have much to worry about.

Taking the time to look back at the stain glass windows which shone brightly thanks to the yellow moon, she noticed that a specific one was moving. It had a mermaid on it, she combed her hair continuously not exactly drawing attention to herself but something about this glass made it interesting. Before she could walk passed it, she heart footsteps of another person. Knowing these loud steps wouldn't be another student ad most likely a teacher, she scrambled to find a hiding spot. Quickly looking back at the moving stained glass she whispered mermaids with low hopes that it would move.

Much to her amazement, it had.

She wasted no time running inside the lit bathroom, and the mermaid closed the portal that led to the other side almost instantly as she entered. Seeing the gigantic pool sized tub, she wished that she'd brought some sort of towel, that was until she spotted some on the side. Akane was about to actually test the waters until she noticed that there was another person in the bath frozen, not literally, on the spot.

"So-sorry! I didn't mean to run in while-" Akane felt the heat rise in her cheeks turning back to the stained glass door looking for the way out. She heard the water move and movements which made her even more frantic to find the bizarre opening.

"Ms. Mikoshiba?" Akane heard a certain professor's voice. "Is that you?"

"Yes," she nodded while still searching for the exit.

He whispered something and then spoke once more. "I'm dressed now, you can turn around."

"I'm so sorry professor, I didn't mean to really! I was just," Akane paused thinking on what she should say. _Ranting to a house elf named Dobby about all my issues about the two bimbos and a certain Italian while gorging myself in the kitchens?_ "Just trying to avoid the other teacher walking by."

"I see," the foot falls of Borkan came closer.

"I swear it." Akane started to wonder at how badly some girls would kill for this opportunity she clearly didn't want. "I promise I didn't see a thing."

"I could probably attest to that, it was hard enough trying to figure out who you were from the tub." Borkan's smile could be heard from the way he simply said his words.

"Yes, you believe me." Akane leaned her head on the used to be entrance, relieved.

"So what are you doing this late at night?"

"It's personal."

"I see," he then touched her shoulder lightly. "You realise that I have every right to give you a detention right here, but I'm giving you the opportunity to explain yourself?"

"I do, but… My problems don't matter in the grand scheme of things."

"And what is that then?"

"I… I wish I could tell you that," she could feel herself become stiff. Knowing that Borkan was watching her every move at that moment.

"Well then, it'd be considered mentoring then if I took you the the office now. Albeit late, they'd understand. From what I've heard you've moved here only recently, and it must've been a difficult change."

"It was," Akane breathed calmer than she had the last five minutes. "But I can't exactly change my problems."

"And why is that?" They still stood there, having a normal conversation in one of the few prefects bathrooms.

"Because they're all social."

"You seemed fine the days I do see you around." It was Borkan's turn to be confused.

"Right, well I don't know what I did to invoke people's anger. I didn't want to make any enemies but people here are hell bent on that."

"I suppose," then he requested. "Can you please look at me, it feels strange talking to the back of your head."

She complied but was still too irritated at her choices to enter the prefects bathroom to look at him in the eyes.

"Ms. Mikoshiba?" He bent down a bit to look at her reddish eyes. With a slight frown he then asked if she'd like to see the med bay.

"No thank you. I think it'd be best if I get going… Do you know the way I can get out?"

"Yes, you just have to repeat the password."

"Thank you," but before she said it he asked.

"How do you know the password?"

"I won a bet, you?" Akane looked at his eyes for the first time.

"I found some spying equipment in my shower." He combed his hair with his hand clearly unhappy. "I don't even know how they found my room. It's concerning, so I asked for the prefects bathroom."

"Right, as expected." Akane shook her head in sympathy.

"As expected. I suppose that I won't see you in the morning?"

"Perhaps."

"Very cryptic." He raised a brow.

"I still have to get my quill back, those lessons on the hulusi can wait for a bit."

"The quill more important than a music lesson?" Gasped in a joking manner.

"It was one of the few things that I did get to pick when I came here, plus it was the only one I found that was different than every other."

"Only one?"

"Yes. It was."

"I see, so I will see you sometime tomorrow is that it?"

"Most likely," Akane suddenly felt tired and drained from all the emotional stress lately. "Will you be busy?"

"Probably just settling a few things, avoiding my newly aquired fan club, and awaiting for your arrival. You should bring the hulusi, I'd like to study it."

"I will profesor." She yawned. "I shall see you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow it is."


	21. Chapter 21: Slytherin Socialization

The next two days passed in a blur, bringing Blaise and his peers to the first weekend of the school year. Being early in September, the weather was still tolerable and several students chose this time to walk the grounds.

Blaise woke up late on Saturday, fortunately. Crabbe and Goyle were still snoozing, but Draco and Theo had vacated the room, providing Blaise with some privacy and the much needed alone time he hadn't managed to find.

He couldn't get over what happened a few days ago, in the Hospital Wing. Of _course_ he would be the one to faint. He shouldn't have listened to Pansy, the bint. Of _course_ he should've payed more attention to Sprout's lecture and Pomfrey's run-down of the cactus the first time around.

 _And of bloody course_ it would be Akane.

The girl was like a magnet. Everything that had happened this year so far involved her. Usually it was Potter in the unlucky spot, but it seemed Boy Wonder was getting a break this year. Good for Potter, he supposed, but that didn't mean all that attention had to get directed to the one person in his own house he couldn't stand.

Blaise forced himself not to think about it or the lingering taste of whatever the hell lip balm she had used on his lips. He pretended it didn't happen, and put more effort into being the Mr. Tall, Dark, Handsome, Cool, Calm, and Collected everyone loved and remembered.

That last part was sarcasm.

He threw on his weekend clothes- a black Muggle hoodie and ripped black jeans- and slipped on some shoes, wand in hand, before slipping out of the dorm room. It was late enough that he had missed breakfast but it was too early for lunch, so Blaise decided he would wait and made way for the Black Lake instead.

Slytherin kids had a knack for lurking around the Black Lake, on the grass and under the trees. Sure, other kids did too, but Slytherins didn't wander many other places. There was something about the lake that drew them there, probably because the common room sat within it. Blaise liked it. It was always cooler around the lake than other areas on the grounds, and he always knew he could find a Slytherin there.

Speaking of, Pansy, Draco, Theo, Bulstrode, and Davis all sat under a large oak, right near the rocky shore of the lake. He followed the gravelly path over to them.

"I heard a lot of the shops in Hogsmeade are going out of business," Pansy said, right as Blaise sat down. "Apparently the Dark Lord sent some Death Eaters over during the summer to try and infiltrate Hogwarts, and they raided a few shops."

Both Draco and Theo shifted uncomfortably.

"Not Honeydukes," Davis hoped.

Pansy shook her head. "No, though some candy from the windows were missing. They did, however, _destroy_ a lot of furniture in the Three Broomsticks, and I think they scared off a lot of the owls in the post office. Madam Puddifoot's closed- the owner got rather frightened-"

Bulstrode cursed under her breath.

"- and Zonko's is struggling, but I think that's because of the place the Weasley twins opened up in Diagon Alley," Pansy explained. "Several residents have moved, too."

"I don't blame them," Tracey Davis said. "The Death Eaters have really gotten courageous since You-Know-Who came back. It's getting scary."

Draco's sudden stiffness and Theo's cast-away gaze did not go unnoticed.

Pansy hummed. "For many, yes. For us, not so much. Many of our families are purebloods and some have ties to the Dark Lord himself. The Dark Lord was in Slytherin, too, _obviously_. We don't need to be afraid. It's everyone else who does."

"That's a rather selfish thing to say, don't you think?" Davis asked.

Draco pulled at his sleeves.

"Perhaps," Pansy stated, "but it's true."

"Just shut up, Pansy," Theo snapped.

She shifted her gaze to him. "What? You're probably safer than the lot of us, with your dad being _one of them_ and all."

Theo paled, jaw clenching. "Not necessarily," he muttered.

Next to him, Draco blurted, "You don't have any right to say any of this, actually. You're in as much danger as anyone else."

"Really?" Pansy asked. "Why do you say that?"

" _Because I might just have to kill you,"_ Draco snarled, eyes ablaze.

Blaise snorted.

" _Really?"_ Pansy countered. "Not like _you_ aren't in any danger either. I heard Daddy Malfoy spent some time in a _Azkaban_ this summer."

Bristling, Draco retorted, " _I'm going to fucking kill you, you blasted bitch."_ He reached for his wand but Theo beat him to it, snatching Draco's wand out of his pocket. He tossed it to Blaise, who caught it and held it out of the blond's reach. Draco glowered at him.

"Sod off, Pansy," Blaise said, shooting her a dark look. The three males stood and up made to leave. Before they could, though, Theo cast a quick jinx- sans wand- which caused Pansy's hair to erupt into wild purple flames.

She screamed, and they picked up the pace, sprinting into the castle. Just to be safe, they darted up the nearest set of stairs and booked it down the hall, only stopping once they found a deserted hallway near Charms.

After taking a few deep breaths, Blaise whistled. "Bloody hell, Theo, non-verbal _and_ wandless magic? Planning on taking over the world, are we?"

Theo let out a "Not quite" on his exhale, still out of breath.

Draco, on the other hand, had abandoning trying to breath and focused on fuming instead. "Bint. I really do _hate_ her."

"A lot of people do," Theo noted.

"Understandably. The woman is _toxic_ and a piece of petty garbage. She talks too much, always yelling and poking her nose into other people's business," Draco spit out, lip curled and eyes narrowed.

He didn't get a response. Draco didn't continue.

"Let's talk," the blond prompted, walking at a leisurely pace. Blaise and Theo followed a step behind. Draco led them up to the library, assuming the place would be mostly empty on a Saturday, providing them privacy and a perfect place to chat.

He was right.

They waved a silent hello to Madam Pince who only lifted a brow at their appearance, but continued reading the giant tome on her desk. Draco led them down a few bookshelves and around the stairs, taking a seat at a small round table sandwiched between bookcases.

Blaise chose to lean against one of the bookcases, but Theo sat down too. There were a few other students in the main area of the library- Ravenclaws, probably- discussing an assignment. The lull of their voices was loud enough to mask anything they may say.

Draco immediately opened up. "My father got out of Azkaban early. Don't ask why, I don't know how he did it, but the Dark Lord isn't too happy with him for what happened at the end of last year. And as punishment," Draco paused and sighed, lifting his the sleeve on his left arm. Planted on his arm was a very familiar- and cursing- tattoo.

"Well shite," Blaise cursed. The Dark Mark was a clashing stain on Draco's pale skin, large and imposing. He grimaced at the sight of it.

"Yes, very shite," Draco agreed, pulling his sleeve back down. "I've also been given a job to do, and if I fail, my family pays the price." A beat. Draco didn't continue. His grey eyes bore into the table as though the piece of furniture held all the answers in the world.

Blaise then chose to sit down. Apparently, it was going to be one of _those_ conversations.

Theo didn't seem like he was going to say anything, so Blaise tentatively asked, "Do you, uh, need help?"

Draco shrugged, lamely. "I've sort of accepted the fact that I'm going to die."

Blaise would've claimed Draco was being dramatic, but this was You-Know-Who they were talking about, so the theatrics were rightly placed.

"I almost did die, this summer," Theo blurted, voice low. "My father was released from Azkaban in July."

Draco's gaze on the table hardened and Blaise's brows furrowed.

"I was home for a week, then he busted my ribs and and broke my arm. I went to St. Mungo's during the night, got patched up, and hid out at Draco's for the rest of the summer," Theo explained. Blaise could never truly understand Theo. The guy buried his emotions so deep that rarely any of them bothered to show. He could be dying on the inside, downright suicidal, and Blaise wouldn't have a clue.

It sounded insensitive, but it was true. It was easier to battle three dragons and win, fly to the top of Mount Everest on an old broom and back, and battle three more dragons and win than it was to figure out the emotions Theo was feeling. Blaise also always wondered how many Glamour charms Theo had on at any given moment. He was always the first to rise and the last to fall asleep, giving him ample time to refresh any spells when needed.

Around March he'd stop casting them, and it would become obvious by the scar splitting his right eyebrow. It came from a broken bottle, Theo claimed, and he'd had it as long as Blaise had known him.

But Blaise understood that some scars wouldn't ever go away.

Worried, Blaise asked, "Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine," Theo said, but Blaise knew it was a lie. That was one thing he _did_ know for certain.

Draco scowled. "It's not _fine,_ Theo."

"You think I don't know that?"

Draco only shook his head. He wasn't mad at Theo. He never was.

"I read in the Daily Prophet that he got arrested again," Theo noted. "He broke into another Muggle home and murdered the family that lived there." At his friends' silence, he added, "Can only hope he stays there."

"You're moving out once we graduate." Draco's voice was resolute.

Theo flashed him a look. "That's the plan."

From behind him, Blaise heard some shuffling, as though books were being pulled from the shelves. He stood up, ready to _Obliviate_ someone, and turned the corner to find Akane, eyes wide and books in hand.

"Akane, I was wondering where you… oh, hey Zabini." Diggory came around the corner of a bookshelf and greeted them with a wave. Blaise's eyes narrowed into slits. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"Likewise," Blaise sneered. He gave the couple a once over before returning to their now revealed place of refuge. "We should leave."

The two of them stood and Draco pursed his lips. They walked out from behind the bookshelves, passing Akane and Diggory on their way out. Outside, Draco crossed his arms, displeasure evident on his pale, twisted face.

"I don't care what Daphne says. I still don't like her," the blond stated.

Theo didn't respond, eyes glued to the library doors.

"Me neither," Blaise agreed. She didn't look surprised to see him, though, which made him wonder just how long she was standing there, and how much she had heard.

 _Shite._


	22. Chapter 22: This is so bloody confusing

She didn't intend on eavesdropping but it just so happened to be that they were talking too loud. All she had done was walk over to the music section, in hopes of finding some music sheets that were made for the hulusi. Then the bosu, Malfoy, and Theodore started speaking about death eaters. She wasn't entirely sure on what they do or what made them so 'bad' but what she did know is that Daphne seemed to be right. The boys were involved with this war with death eaters, and that this 'Dark Lord' is really pushing to make a statement.

The voices stopped and Akane picked up the only book with the words hulusi. Zabini looked at her once again with that scowl she didn't earn. The only reason she didn't spin on her heels and _perhaps_ flick him off was because Ced was there. The three boys left with only Theo nodding in a sort of goodbye which she gladly reciprocated.

"Why do you have a book on the hulusi?" Ced asked her as she started flipping through page after page.

"I actually play the hulusi," she looked up briefly to meet his eyes. "I think if I was going to teach Borkan the instrument it'd be easier with music sheets."

 _Of course, blasted Borkan._ The golden hearted man thoughts with disdain. That's all he'd be hearing lately, Borkan this and Borkan that. Not from Akane, but from every other bloody female in the school. Even Professor Sprout made a comment on how 'nice' he looked after she confronted some of his over giggly housemates on it.

"Why are you teaching a professor something? Shouldn't it be the otherway around," Cedric said keeping the annoyance out of his voice.

"He's curious about East Asian instruments because Mahokoutoro doesn't like to share much with the 'outside world.'" She did air quotes which Diggory found adorable.

"Why is that?"

"I'm not so sure myself," Akane closed the book, satisfied with its contents. "But what are you doing here Ced?"

"You definitely forgot didn't you?" Cedric was clearly unimpressed.

"What did I- Kuso." She suddenly looked up at him with wide eyes. Taking in his appearance, it was definitely _not_ the school's' uniform. He'd been wearing a knit sweater that was the same as his house colors with a pair of slacks, appropriate for the chilly weather. "Kami, Ced I'm so sorry. I'll be ten minutes at the most, maybe fifteen." She had to add calculating the time it would take for her to run to the dungeons.

"Akane-"

"Kami, I hope it's not too late." Akane looked at the clock, they still had time. "I'll be back." But before she could go, he held her shoulder and she spun around.

"Don't forget the staircase, okay?" Cedric reminded her.

"I won't I promise," she then booked it to her dorm. She knew her clothing wasn't exactly what Britain's wizarding teenagers wore, but it was better than being even later than she already was with Cedric.

As she rushed to meet Cedric back at the designated spot with a pouch filled with coin, thanks to Malfoy, she saw him leaning against the stairwells. She noticed how he looked at his watch and guilt was immense. How long had he been waiting? Then she saw as a few of the younger girls start giggling around him like mad women as they tried to strike up a conversation. Akane watched in somewhat joy as their faces deflated when Cedric told them something and nodded towards herself.

"Hey," he rocketed himself to a standing position. "I was almost worried you forgot again."

"I'm so sorry," Akane apologized again. "I'll make it up to you somehow, I swear."

"Is that a promise?"

"Definitely."

The pair made their way towards Hogsmeade, she realised that Cedric was more than the boy with the golden heart image that had been ingrained into every students mind. She found out that when he was younger, his father was an avid quidditch fan, so much that his father contemplated on naming him after his favorite quidditch player. She also learned that he had no other siblings, he had been an only child in the house of Diggory.

As they entered a candy shop, Akane couldn't help but look at every single item in the shop. There were strange things called chocolate frogs, some sort of beans, sugar quills, and choco-shocks? The pair browsed the area she couldn't help but notice that Ced had a box of something in his hands.

"What's that?"

"Glacial snow flakes, they're my favorite." She could tell he was ready to pay just so he could open the small box.

"What do they taste like?"

"They're like sweet snowflakes that only melt on your tongue." Ced explained, then pointed out a few others that he liked. She herself, was not an avid sweets person, like her companion but she did have a soft spot for lychee jelly and mango puddings. Luckily for her, Honeydukes decided to have a selection of these jellies for her to choose from.

"What is that?" Ced asked as they walked out of the store, he with a small box and herself with a never ending supply of jellies in her jar.

"Would you like to try one?" She offered, holding one of the plastic cups to him. "It's good."

Cedric's lack of hesitation was a refreshing change from the day they made taiyaki together, it was even funnier when he couldn't figure out how to open the seal on the jelly. She almost laughed as he took out his wand and casted a small scaled cutting charm. One sip later he was infatuated with the small jellies that Akane had bought.

Then the pair noticed an absence of students and Cedric realised that they'd been in the candy shop for too long. The last carriage was about to leave, but thanks to Daphne spotting the running duo she paused the takeoff.

"Thanks, Daphne." Akane breathed heavily along with Cedric.

"No problem." Daphne eyes the two as she sat on her side with Anthony. Cedric nodded to the two in thanks and the carriage ride was short but bumpy due to the storm that was ready to let her tears out. Daphne looked at the jar in Akane's hands but didn't question it, that was until Akane practically shoved a small container of 'lychee jelly' into her hand claiming it was good.

As the four made small talk, Akane couldn't help but wonder how the pair had gotten together. As they made it back to the entrance of their ever so magical school, Akane watched as Filch crossed out a few things, presumably their names, in order to make sure everyone made it back to Hogwarts.

The quadruple separated but before Akane could walk to the Gryffindor table, Ced pulled her aside. "So you promised you'd make it up to me, right?"

"Yes," she looked at him determined to fulfill her words. "What is it?"

"Sit with me." He gestured to his table, "I'd like it if you'd meet some of my friends."

Without much resistance, Akane B-lined it to the Hufflepuff table much to the surprises of various people. Hermione expected this of Cedric, after all he was much more direct than Harry was. Ginny simply cheered for her friend, hoping that she'd be their child's godmother. Ron, Ron was a different subject. He was fuming, his crush was literally crushing him. Although he didn't really defend her against Lavender's petty jabs, he didn't think she'd go and sit with Diggory.

"Hello," Akane gave a smile to everyone Cedric introduced her to. Surprisingly, she got along with every single one of them. Especially Hannah because of her good spirited nature to their duel. As dinner progressed, Akane thought that she'd finally found somewhere she'd be able to eat in peace for once.

"Cedric, hello." Another girl from a different table came up to him with a smile.

"Hey Cho."

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Cho decided to situate herself on the other side of Cedric, the side that Akane wasn't on.

"Has it?" Cedric replied not giving her much to work with.

"We've only seen eachother since you've woken up, and that was over a month ago." Cho touched his shoulder, "we never really spoke about our relationship."

Relationship? This was all new to Akane's ears as she still stared down at her plate. Perhaps she thought wrong? That Cedric was only being nice to her, and he didn't like her in that way. After all, this _Cho_ seemed to be much more acquainted with Cedric than she had. Especially since she said something about waking up a month ago.

"Cho," Cedric glanced to Akane. He was uncomfortable to say the least, all he had wanted to do was steal her away for at least a few more hours but his ex had to much that up. Knowing that Akane was probably getting confused and anxious because of Cho's words he had tried to stop the girl with no avail.

"Cedric!" She whined slightly. "We haven't spoken, and we don't have classes together. I was hoping we'd at least go to Hogsmeade together today."

"Cho, can we talk about this later?" He tried to pry off her arm. Watching Akane purse her lips.

"But we don't have any classes together, or any electives either. I've been waiting for you to come over and speak to me but you never did," she crossed her arms. "How do I know that you'll keep your promise?"

"Promise?" it was Cedric's turn to scrunch his brows in confusion. "I didn't make any promises lately."

"You did, back when we were in sixth year. Did the spell make you forget it?" She went to touch his forehead but he had enough.

"Stop Cho, now's not the time." Cedric looked over to where Akane once sat then found her leaving with quick strides. He was about to follow her until Cho held him back.

"What do you mean, not the time?" Cho decided to make a public display of herself. "I've waited for you the whole year you were in your coma. And now you're awake and conscious but you haven't spoken to me at all. Then I hear that you're with the new student, what am I supposed to think Cedric?"

"Cho," Cedric looked defeated as the girl he did like was gone but his ex wasn't. "Can we talk about this in private at the very least?"

"No." She shook her head a few tears streaming. "Tell me Cedric."

* * *

Akane speedily walked away from the scene with watery eyes, only to have someone call her name.

"Akane!" Daphne Greengrass ran over. "Wait for me!"

Heeding her words, Akane paused briefly wondering it was a good idea. "What is it, Daphne?"

"Are you alright?" Her fellow Slytherin asked.

"I'm not sure," Akane turned to face her housemate. "I don't know what's happening, Daphne. One moment everything's peachy then the next is like Russian Roulette."

Daphne gave her a sympathetic look. "Well, come on. Tell me about it. Tracey says I'm a great listener."

"It's not all that interesting," Akane frowned. "Just stupid misinterpretations."

"Sounds interesting enough," Daphne said. "Is it Cedric?"

"How could it not be?" Akane messed with the top of her hair. "I thought that he liked me, I really did. But when Cho spoke to him, it was like they were a couple. And if they're a couple what does that make me? Just a friend?"

Daphne tsked. "Cho is old news. The two had a thing before his coma, but I'm not sure if it was ever official. They went to the Yule Ball together, I know for a fact, but I think Cho's always been more into it than he has. I'm not sure how it ended, but I've heard she still isn't over him."

"But that's the thing Daphne, did it even end? From what I've heard, he only spoke to her once after this coma. Then there's another thing, why was he in a coma in the first place?" Akane then paused, "Yule Ball, where have I heard that before… Wasn't that two years ago? Wait. It was, Harry told me a story about that, and that's when he was in the triwizard tournament. What did Cedric do to earn himself a coma for a year?"

"So he still hasn't told you?" Daphne asked. "I suppose I shall. Both Potter and Cedric partook in the Triwizard Tournament, but it was a trick. During the final trial, Potter and Cedric went both taken to a place where You Know Who was waiting, and Cedric got severely hurt. He would have died if Potter was any slower getting back to Hogwarts." She paused, contemplative. "No one's really sure what happened during the time they were gone, though."

"But that doesn't explain why he hasn't fixed up loose strings with her, according to her he'd been awake for at least a month."

Daphne shrugged. "I can't explain that either. Perhaps he wasn't ready to face the life he had unintentionally left behind."

"But does he even like me the way I liked him?" Akane looked at Daphne's all seeing eyes.

"I think so," Daphne replied with a soft smile. "You could see it in his gaze."

"This is so bloody confusing."

Daphne laughed. "It always is."


	23. Chapter 23: The Room of Requirement

Early Sunday morning, before anyone had roused for breakfast, Draco was in Blaise's face, shaking him awake. Alarmed, Blaise shot up in bed and nearly whacked the blond.

"Watch it, Zabini," Draco whispered, taking a step back. Theo stood next to him, looking rather comfortable in a gray hoodie and baggy pajama pants.

Blaise looked between the two of them. "Don't ask me to make this a threesome."

"Fuck, no, get over yourself." Draco blanched and shook his head.

"Well, gee, Drake, I'm not that gross."

The blond deadpanned. "Just get up."

Blaise stood up and tossed on a shirt and proper pants. He grabbed his wand and closed the curtains around his bed, ready to go.

Crabbe and Goyle could sleep through anything, so they didn't toss nor turn when the door to the dormitory slipped open and shut, emitting three males. They trekked through the common room- not without trouble, as both Blaise and Draco managed to trip over the same rug- and snuck out the door, quickly and quietly.

Draco was in the lead. He walked stiffly but swiftly, determination in his step. Theo stuck his hands in his hoodie's pocket and lingered a few steps behind with the sleepy Blaise.

"What's he doing?" Blaise asked.

Theo yawned. "Dunno."

Draco took a sharp right, bringing them up to the main entrance hall. He led them in the opposite direction of the Great Hall, towards the moving staircases. In fact, _directly_ to the moving staircases, and he travelled up as many as the school would allow.

He got off on the sixth floor, and stormed down the hallway, hands curled into fists. Draco was on edge- nothing out of the ordinary- and it showed. He was being quiet, though, which was new.

Right when Blaise was about to ask whether or not Draco had just dragged them to the opposite side of the school so he could murder them, the blond took a turn and travelled up yet another set of stairs, bringing them to the seventh floor. At the top, though, anxieties began to show.

"Alright," Draco muttered to himself, looking up and down the hallway. "This way… I think."

Draco didn't actually know where he was going. This was made obvious after several minutes of aimless wandering and increasingly anxious murmurs coming from the blond.

"What are we looking for?" Theo finally asked, and Draco seemed to calm down a smidge.

"The bloody Room of Requirement," Draco mumbled, still looking- and sounding- lost and confused. "Where the fuck…"

Blaise glanced up and down the corridor. "There aren't any doors up here, Drake."

"I know that!" Draco snapped. "It's called _magic,_ Blaise, haven't you heard of it?"

Theo stepped away and started inspecting the hall for himself.

"Just trying to help," Blaise said defensively, lifting both palms up.

Draco sighed. "I know, I just… it's _up here,_ somewhere."

The three separated and investigated the deserted hall, looking for any type of clue. Other than some dusty, cranky portraits and a statue of a gargoyle looming at the end of hall, there was nothing there.

Theo sat down on a window ledge and Blaise leaned against the wall beside him, both feeling rather resigned. Draco, on the other hand, showed an overwhelming desperation- something that was both unsightly and scary for the blond.

"No, no, no," he continued mumbling. "It's here, I swear!" He raked a hand through his sleep tousled hair, causing even more strands to stand on end. Blaise didn't notice it before, but Draco had heavy bags under his eyes.

"Have you been sleeping, mate?" Blaise asked, out of concern.

Draco whirled around on the spot and flashed Blaise what Blaise could only consider as crazy eyes. " _No,"_ he responded. Suddenly, everything felt oddly intense. "I've been trying to… I have to find… a _way…"_

"A way to do what?" Theo inquired.

" _A way to kill Dumbledore."_

 __Blaise startled. " _What?!"_

"That's the job, then?" Theo's lack of surprise and nonchalance towards the headmaster was all sorts of concerning. Blaise gaped at him.

Draco shuddered. " _Yes,_ and like _I said,_ if I don't do it, then my family pays. _I pay._ I don't-"

"What do you need?"

Blaise saw a flash of something odd and foreign but strangely familiar in front of him, almost like deja vu, but it hadn't happened quite yet. Draco was breaking- mentally, emotionally- because of this job, something he had probably been dwelling over for the greater portion of summer, and Theo was there, unquestioning, ready to assist.

Things were starting to make sense.

Draco held up his hands as though to hold something that wasn't there. "The sodding door needs to appear, I just don't remember where in the hallway it is. Potter used it for his odd club last year. I think you need to walk in front of it or something, like a pattern or-"

"Then we'll do some walking," Blaise replied, not feeling like he was part of it but forcing his voice to hold the motivation. Something about this, the job, the plan, felt horribly wrong. But Draco believed in it- he had to. And therefore, so did Blaise. They were a team, when things came down to it. They may not act like it all the time, but nothing and no one- not even Pansy- could break them up.

Draco gave a quick nod. Under his breath, Blaise thought he heard the blond mutter, "I may hate the old tosser but I don't want him to _die."_

He might've misheard.

* * *

They didn't find the door, and they would have kept looking, but the sun had come up and voices could be heard from below, so they ditched the search for the Room for now and decided to come back later.

The walk back down to the Great Hall took some time, so by the time they reached the bustling hall, breakfast was roughly halfway over.

"There you are!" Pansy exclaimed, waving them over. Upon closer inspection, she frowned. "Why are you all dressed like that?"

Blaise had thought he put on normal clothes, but he threw on the wrong shirt. Theo still resembled a bum and Draco wasn't too far off.

"We were having a sleepover, obviously," Theo supplied. He sat down across from the girl, and his two friends sat down on either side of him.

Pansy gave him a look. "You can't have a _sleepover_ if you all normally sleep in the same room."

"Sure you can," Theo said. He took a giant gulp of pumpkin juice, staring at Pansy over the goblet lip.

To Theo's right, Draco conjured a flask out of thin air and poured it into his goblet. Blaise recognized the smell. Firewhiskey.

So did Pansy. "Draco!" she admonished. "It's nine o'clock in the morning!"

"I _don't_ care," he hissed, taking a swig. Perhaps he, too, usually cast a few Glamour charms, for today the bags seemed more purple and his skin pallor.

Pansy simply stared at him, blinking slowly. "Draco, that _really_ isn't good. You look like a mess, too."

He ignored her and took another drink.

Pansy harrumphed and turned to the people who might actually listen. "I'm going Hogsmeade today. Anyone want to come with me?"

"I will," Millicent said.

"We'll come," Daphne replied, indicating her and Tracey. "I'd like to stop at Scrivenshaft's, if you don't mind."

"Of course not!" Pansy smiled. "I need some new quills, too."

This was unusual. The harpy had receded back into her human form. Usually, Pansy was only in a good mood when someone gave her an expensive gift or she got laid.

Wait a minute.

"Who did you devour?" Blaise interrogated, startling the girl. "Whose obituary do I need to write?"

Offended, she held a palm against her chest. "You have no faith in me, Blaise! And for your information-"

" _Morning everyone!"_ Pucey bounded up to the table with a bounce in his step, shit-eating grin on his face. "Fine weather, wouldn't you say? Perfect for playing quidditch!"

Blaise glanced back at Pansy and found the girl staring at the table, a hint of regret swirling in her eyes.

"Fucking hell," Blaise breathed. "You actually did it."

"Pucey is a _fine_ piece of arse, thankyouverymuch, he was perfectly acceptable in bed-"

Adrian sat down and greeted each and everyone individually in a ten foot radius.

"-just a little annoying, is all."

"Blaise, my man!" Blaise flinched. Pucey never called him by his first name. "What a fine day!"

"Yeah, very fine," Blaise answered, offbeat.

He turned to Draco- halfway drunk- and Theo- resident bum. "Malfoy! Nott! Glorious, glorious sun! Praise the deities, especially the Greek! I am feeling Apollo _to_ day!" Draco lifted a heavy glare and stared the quidditch captain down. Theo shifted under his large hoodie.

"That's nice, Adrian, can you calm down?" Pansy tried, but:

"Pansy Parkinson, beautiful flower, child of Eden! You have gifted me with something: pride! For I am proud to have deflowered you-"

" _I was not a virgin, Pucey!"_

His loud ramblings were drawing attention, and the surrounding Slytherins were inching away as slyly as they could, sliding on the wooden bench.

"- and your warm, kind, soft, beautiful soul!"

"Pucey," Draco drawled, metaphorical glares soaring through the air towards Pucey's head. "If you keep _rambling like a fucking maniac,_ Hooch might just _demote you,_ and pick someone else as captain. And, if you could hear yourself, you'd know how bloody _annoying_ others might think you are, and kick you off _the sodding quidditch team!"_

Adrian shut up and sat down, piling food onto his plate at an alarming rate.

"Thank you, Draco," Pansy said, stiff, face aflame. She turned ninety degrees, fully facing Daphne on the bench and pretending Adrian wasn't even there. "Thank you very much."

"Shut _up,_ Pansy."

She hummed, obviously displeased. "Oh," Pansy added as an afterthought. "Did you all see Chang explode at Cedric yesterday? It was quite a sight, I swore I saw Akane run out in tears."

First hearing Cho's name, followed by Diggory's- cue a foul flashback to that Yule Ball disaster- and finishing off with a name that rhymed with "Bakane," Blaise decided to mimic his two friends and completely tune out the conversation being held.


	24. Chapter 24: Cormac McLaggen

As she entered the great hall, it feld as if all eyes were on her. _I knew that I should've skipped and gone to the kitchens instead._ But before she could leave Ginny pulled her over to the Gryffindor table like it was no bloke's business. Akane dared to glance slightly to her left and right, somewhat surprised to see so many people in the dining hall. Then again, it was a western custom for Sunday Brunches to exist.

Ginny, quite literally, plopped Akane onto the seat and sat next to the girl. Akane watched as Ginny piled things on a plate and then put it in front of her, much to Akane's surprise. With one expectant look from the motherly ginger she decided not to fuss about it. As soon as she began to eat, Ginny had started to fill a plate for herself giving Akane a chance to look around the table to see who was all there.

There had been a boy, Neville Longbottom she believed across from them holding some sort of clear ball in his hands. Other than that, there were enough spacial gaps in between the three to differentiate them from other groups.

"Akane, right?" Neville questioned while looking at her.

"Yes," she smiled half-heartedly. "Are you Neville?"

"That's me," the boy gave her an awkwardly adorable wave. "I'm glad to finally meet you in person. I've heard from everyone in Gryffindor about a Slytherin who really isn't a Slytherin, even from Harry! I'm glad to finally see you in person." He spoke to her under the watchful eyes of Ginny.

"A Slytherin who really isn't a Slytherin," Akane mumbled. The word felt numb to her tongue. She supposed that was to be true, she really wasn't a Slytherin. Stealing scrolls were just a taste of what a Slytherin was, and she clearly was not that. She wasn't willing to play with 'death eaters' or bow her head down to some Dark Lord. If anything Akane realised she didn't belong.

She wasn't a Hufflepuff, loyal when there was trouble and toil.

She wasn't a Gryffindor, brave and daring in the swells of their hearts.

She wasn't a Ravenclaw, with daring wits and learning skills.

She wasn't a Slytherin, cunning, creative, and always achieve what they want.

She was missorted.

Not by the hat but by just being in the school. She had wondered what had taken her so long to figure that out. No wonder why any dishonourable students came back after a semester, if not less at any other wizarding school. They just simply didn't belong. Perhaps it was because Mahokoutoro was so exclusive in everything that they had a self imposed isolation, or the cultural clashes are just too strong.

Without glancing to Ginny or looking back to Neville, she slipped out of her seat quicker than Ginny could react and disappeared before she could hear Ginny send Neville a bat bogey hex. As Akane left the hall, she didn't know where exactly where to go but she didn't care at the moment. It didn't matter as she walked passed a bunch of her fellow classmates. It didn't matter as she felt the verge of tears on her eyes, ready to free themselves. It didn't even matter when she passed the corridors and stairs that she didn't realise what floor she'd been on or which wing she was in.

Only that, there were no more students around her. That there weren't even teachers in her area, not even a single familiar lurked in the corners. She had to wonder, where exactly did she end up? Wandering around might prove to be her only option seeing as she doesn't have a direct sense of where she came from.

Nothing seemed to be familiar, not after her first twenty minutes of walking aimlessly. Windows were scarce, doors that weren't locked even more so. Therefore her sense of where she was, was as expected. Terrible. If it weren't for the darkening corridors she would've thought that she'd been going in circles, yet something about this corridor struck her as strange.

At the very end of the hall there had been a large door, which was open to her astonishment. Despite her fears of what may lay on the other side she decided it'd be better than to go back and attempt something else. Pushing the door slightly while watching for any sort of living creature or trap, whichever came first, she decided that it was safe enough to step inside. Whispering a spell to her wand so that it would illuminate her path she quickly saw a pair of stairs that led either up or down. But of course they were the moving type, so she had to make a choice quickly before the led up or down to a wall instead of a door. Then again, the door might be locked like the sixty others she tried.

Quickly choosing to go up instead of down, she found that the door led to a balcony of sorts. _Fourth floor, balcony?_ She couldn't figure out where the bloody hell she was. But what she did see was the Black Lake below her and the forest off to her right. It was irritating to think that she could fly if she only had her broom, but she didn't for that was in the equipment room along with the rest of her teammates brooms.

"Kuru hoki," she pointed no where in general hoping that it'd work. Not fifteen seconds later, her broom was right in front of her face, ready to assist in her escape. She let out a fist of excitement into the air and quickly mounted the enchanted cleaning item, as she soared through the air feeling free. Although halfway across the globe, she felt as if she belonged to the sky and the sky to her.

Then she heard panicked screams off in the forest.

She didn't fancy herself being a hero, but as the screams sounded more agonizing than the last. Akane knew that her conscious wouldn't leave her alone until she did something. Zooming towards the general direction of the screams, she found that a fourth year student shaking in fear about the black ghost-like figure hovering above him.

"Expecto patronum!" Akane yelled while hovering over the broom, and to the boy she appeared as if she were a princess from the magical lands described in the Chronicles of Rarnia. Screams of the dementor scared the boy but not Akane, she was used to dealing with these dementors when she was at her old school. As soon as the vile creature had left, she flew down to let the poor boy get on the broom.

"Are you alright?" She asked as he nursed his elbow.

"I think it's broken," the unknown Gryffindor boy replied meekly.

"What are you doing out here? Trying to get yourself killed?" She then added without a harsh tone, but simply stating facts.

"It was," he mumbled the rest.

"What?"

"It was initiation. Okay? Cormac Mclaggen said that he'd help me get on the team next year if I proved to him that I'm a true Gryffindor." The young boy teared up slightly, "I just wanted them to think that I was good enough."

"Who said you weren't?" Akane steadily flew back to the school.

"They didn't have to say it."

"I see," Akane pursed her lips but he couldn't see. "Are you really that bad at quidditch that you'll do something as barmy as this?"

"I'm afraid of heights," he whispered but it had been loud enough.

"Why do you want to be on the team so bad? Quidditch is sport that's all in the air," she let her hands go to gesture in a way that would ease the tension, but his grip around her tightened and he begged for her to never do that again.

"If you're so afraid of heights, why do you want to join the quidditch team?" She pressured.

"It's the only sport to play," he replied. "I love sports. But I'm a muggle born, so I don't fly or do anything like that on a daily basis. Cormac said that he'd help me, that way I wouldn't be so… Pathetic."

"You really want to learn how to fly?"

"I can fly!"

"You know what I mean," she snapped slightly and then took in a breath. "But do you?"

"I do," he whispered. "But I didn't get the blasted flower that's supposed to-"

"You won't need that. I'll teach you," she pointed to herself.

"You? How do I know you're any good at teaching?" The boy scoffed.

"What makes you think Cormac is any better?"

"He's confident."

"More like cocky."

"He's aggressive."

"I am."

"He's… Wait, wait a minute." He spotted the green outline of her clock. "Why are _you_ offering me help?"

"Because. We're similar in different ways," she was close enough to the ground to jump if she wanted but she knew that he'd probably freak out.

He didn't snap or do anything remotely rude, but he did ask. "How?"

"I'm different here."

"You're that exchange student!" He put the dots together, "you're the one who's on the Hufflepuff team! I was at that try out! Are you? Gods you are! You're Akane Mikoshiba, the Mikoshiba from the Toyohashi Tengu!"

"That's me." She shrugged landing, letting him get off first.

"Gods, you're way cooler than McLaggen-"

" _Who's_ cooler than me?" Presumably the man named Cormac raised a brow.

"Uh," the boy didn't saw a word but she looked at Cormac. Sizing up who this guy was and why he was telling a fourteen year old boy to pick a flower in the Forbidden Forest.

"Akane Mikoshiba," she meant to say as an introduction but he took it differently.

"Akane Mikoshiba? Well that's a no brainer, she's on the Toyohashi Tengu. The number one team in the world." Cormac started to spew facts about her, as if she wasn't there in front of him. "Plus she's only seventeen, she's a bloody dream!"

"Is she?" Akane looked at her uber obsessed admirer.

"She is, besides just who are you telling me that Akane Mikoshiba isn't…" He took a good look at her and then his face suddenly showed that he understood who had been in front to fhim this whole entire time. "You're…"

"Akane Mikoshiba," she raised her brow in an accusational like manner. "You must be Cormac Mclaggen-"

"Yes!"

"The one who sent this boy into the Forbidden Forest for a flower!?" She wanted to tell him

him that she found a dementor ready to kiss the boy. That it was stupid for him to do this 'initiation' when he could've just taught the boy out of the goodness of his heart.

"Eric!" Cormac looked at the boy who still nursed his arm.

"Honestly," she shook her head then pointed. "You're coming with me to the hospital wing, you too."

"Why?" Cormac asked but then quickly reworded as he saw her unhappy face. "I mean why are you going? I could take him, after all it was a bad idea."

"Because I'm going to be teaching him how to be a badass quidditch player." Akane left no room for Eric to even speak. Not that he would, he's too preoccupied with watching the pair. Akane was clearly angry at the fact that Cormac even suggested for him to go to the forest. While Cormac, Cormac was infatuated with seeing the celebrity woman and how nice it'd be to steal her away from Diggory.

Cormac had heard what the boy with the 'heart of gold' had done. Or what he didn't do, to be exact. According to what Cormac heard, the new Slytherin girl had been getting close with the 'heartthrob' of the school. Now that he knew that the new girl was Akane Mikoshiba, that changed a few things.

"Really? Well I am too," Cormac tried his best to add himself into the equation. "In fact, I was just seeing if Eric was serious about quidditch, you know?"

Thinning her lips she looked to Eric, "What would you prefer?"

"I-Uh," Cormac gave Eric a slightly scary smile which promised something unpleasant if he prefered just Akane. "I'd like the both of you to teach me."

"Really?" Akane looked back to see Cormac to see only a small smile.

"Yes! I think that you both could teach me something great, you know. Two heads are better than one," Eric laughed slightly.

"Fine. We'll take you to the medical wing, then hope Madam Pomfrey can fix you up. I want to start today, see what you know." Akane nodded towards the hospital.

"Good idea." Cormac walked beside her.

As the visit to the Madam Pomfrey raised a brow seeing Akane come in with a different boy, she didn't question it seeing as someone else came in. Regardless, Eric was healed. The three went towards the quidditch pitch to show Eric how high he'll need to go to be comfortable. While Cormac and herself had their own brooms, Eric had to use one of the schools.

"It's not so bad, once you get used to it." Cormac encouraged.

"Come on. If you're able to reach the ring, by yourself I must add. Then I'll show you how to get by any keeper," she held the ball in her hands.

"By any keeper? Akane, I'm sorry but you must be daft to think that you can get anything passed me." Cormac seemed slightly offended.

"Daft? I doubt it, after all I was apart of the Tengu." Akane smirked which Cormac thought was interesting.

"Want to place a bet then?"

"Aren't we supposed to be teaching Eric?"

"It'll be a demonstration then," Cormac hovered closer to her. "To show him if he'd like to be a keeper or a chaser."

"There's also seeker," she added in. "I can play that too."

He groaned, "I swear. If you were on the Slytherin team you and Adrian would have a great time talking to you."

"Funny enough, he didn't even let me try out. Regardless," she looked at Cormac. "What is this bet?"

"You score five times and I give you something that you want, vice versa."

"What would you want?" Akane looked at him with curiosity.

"I'd like for you to go on a single date with me." He replied with a smirk.

"Direct. It's nice, but you better be prepared to lose Mclaggen."

"You think a quidditch date would be fun?"


	25. Chapter 25: Literal Garbage

Sunday afternoon found Blaise, Draco, and Theo back in the library. Instead of talking, though, they were helping Draco hunt down any and every single text regarding Hogwarts and its formation.

"Blasted room," Draco growled. He had already read three books and was skimming through a fourth. "How did Potter even find it if it's such a bloody secret?"

"Why don't you ask him?" Theo suggested dryly.

Draco was scandalized.

"It can't be _that_ hard to find," Blaise reasoned. He, too, had a book in front of him, but he flipped pages back and forth, bored. "Besides, didn't you say you saw the door last year?"

" _Yes,_ that's how I know about it," Draco said. He slammed his book shut and pushed it off to the side. "Umbridge was dead set on finding Potter's group, so she had us stationed during open periods around the seventh floor. I've _been_ in the Room, so why is it that I can't remember where the sodding thing is?"

"Maybe it doesn't want to be found," Theo commented.

Opening his mouth, Draco prepared a retort, but no words came out, and his voice died in his throat.

"Don't worry, Drake." Blaise shut his own book. It wasn't doing him any good. "It's early in the year. We've got time."

"Time for what?"

A wild Ravenclaw- also known as Padma- approached the table, comfortable in her natural habitat. She was alone, for the time being at least. She crossed her arms and stared down at the three boys, taking note of the books scattered on the surface.

"Hey, Patil," Blaise greeted. Draco curled his lip and cast his gaze off to the side. "Got any idea where the Room of Requirement is?"

"I do." Padma observed them carefully. "Why?"

"It's-"

Blaise cut Draco off. "Oh, these two were wanting to experiment. You know, with _things."_

Padma struggled to suppress a smile. Draco audibly choked. Theo lifted a hand to his mouth, eyes twinkling with mirth.

"O- _oh,"_ she started, voice cracking, trying not to giggle. "In that case, I'll show you." Padma made to move, then pointed to a table on the other side of the library. "Let me just gather my things."

The moment she left, Draco hissed, "Damn you, Blaise. Now she'll think I'm gay."

"Are you not?" Blaise asked. Theo stood up and cast a spell, causing the books to levitate and rightfully place themselves back on the shelves.

"Well, yeah, but like," Draco stumbled over his words. "She doesn't need to _know_ that."

Padma returned, bag slung over her shoulder. "Are we ready?"

Blaise gave a nod, and the three males followed her out, drawing the attention of a few underclassmen sitting near the door. Any whispers halted when Draco flashed them a threatening glare.

She led them towards the moving staircases, and waited until the staircase in front of them lifted up. The odd quartet traveled up a similar pathway that Blaise, Draco, and Theo had taken before, but instead of taking the stairs to the seventh floor that Draco took, Padma kept walking and snuck into an indentation in the wall. Behind the stones was another staircase.

"It's all a bit confusing," Padma explained as she walked up the steps. "It took me a few tries to figure it out myself. Technically, you _can_ use the other stairs, but these will bring you closer to the wall."

Once at the top, she took a left down a short hallway. About halfway down, she stopped in the middle of the corridor, right at a junction of paths. On one wall, next to an adjacent hall, hung a rather disturbing tapestry depicting several trolls dancing.

She pointed to each of the three hallways. "That's the way we came. There isn't much else down there except for some empty rooms and a nonworking lavatory. This one here," she gestured to the one adjacent, lined with large windows. "That will take you back towards the main seventh floor area, close to where the Divination stairs are. And _this,"_ she pointed straight ahead of them. "Dead ends, as you can see. All that's down there are two birds."

Cue a pretty little chirp.

Theo frowned. "Why are they so isolated?"

Padma shrugged. The two birds were in a spherical cage, hanging by a long rope. Behind them were more windows. There was nothing in the cage, either: no sign of food or water. "It is a little odd, isn't it?" she noted. "I used to come up here quite often. It's a decent place to study if you ever need some peace and quiet. Those birds have always been there, so I just always assumed someone's been feeding them."

Odd indeed. They must be some special breed, Blaise thought. _Probably a dangerous one._

As if she had been reading his mind, Padma countered his ideas. "They seem pretty harmless, so you shouldn't have to worry."

Draco didn't appear to be listening. He was staring at the wall, squinting, like he was trying to force the wall down by simple power of mind. "How do you get in?"

"Eager, are we?" Padma asked with a smirk, and Draco scowled. "It's rather easy. You just walk back and forth in front of this wall here, three times I believe, and think about what you require. The Room will create whatever you need, hence the name."

Muttering to himself- probably something self-deprecating if the look on his face had anything to say- Draco immediately started pacing back and forth.

"Well! I'll leave you boys to it," Padma grinned, and with a wink added: "Be safe!" With that, she turned and walked off down a different hall than they came.

Blaise watched her walk down the hall. Perhaps he should ask her about starting up their fling again instead of hunting Weaslette down. Padma was sensible, and she really was beautiful. Blaise would've asked her out before, but they never had anything more than occasional lust between them.

Besides, Padma hadn't been hit by hurricane Akane yet. He was pretty sure Weaslette had, and if he remembered correctly, both Akane _and_ Weaslette were part of the rabid group that formed around Borkan's feet on the professor's day of arrival.

Borkan. Another problem. The guy was too attractive, he was putting _both_ Blaise and Diggory to shame. _He needs to be eliminated,_ Blaise's inner voice piped up. Frowning, Blaise figured that would be too much work, and he switched gears, focusing on the real problem at hand.

When he turned around, he was greeted by a pair of dark iron doors standing at least twelve feet tall. Draco gazed up at the doors in awe, almost as though within those doors held the world's answers.

(If Draco was _really_ interested in answers, he should've just accompanied his father to the Hall of Prophecies last year, but Blaise figured that was a low blow and kept his mouth shut.)

Draco wasn't doing anything, so Theo reached forward and grasped the door handle. He glanced back at Draco.

"I really hope you wished for something _normal."_

The blond deadpanned. "Were you hoping for something, Nott? Did you forget why we came here? I have _a job to do-"_

"Fine, yes, alright," Theo drawled. "It was a _joke."_

Blaise doubted that.

Theo yanked the door open enough for him to enter the room, and Blaise and Draco quickly followed, letting the door slam shut behind them. Inside, towers of miscellaneous items competed for the ceiling. Lost books, socks, old quidditch equipment, and dead chocolate frogs were just a few of the items tossed about and forgotten.

"So," Blaise started, glancing around the incredibly messy room. "What exactly are we looking for?"

"Anything that can be used as a weapon," Draco replied. "Objects that I can curse. And it's got to be powerful, too."

From one of the nearby piles, Theo pulled an ancient tiara and placed it on his head. "Like this?"

Blaise snorted. Draco, however, snatched it off and tossed it back where it came from. " _No."_

Theo hummed and wandered off.

"What kind of cursed object?" Blaise asked.

Draco pursed his lips. "I'm not quite sure."

"Do you even have any ideas-"

"No," he interrupted. "No, Blaise, I don't, I just figured I would _find_ something. Isn't that the point of this room? To _find_ what you're looking for?"

Blaise simply stared at his friend. Draco was getting cranky.

He told him as such.

"I'm cranky because I've been up since _five_ looking for this sodding room," Draco snarled. "And attitudes _such as yours_ are just reminders that I still don't have a _fucking clue what I'm doing."_

Blaise took a step back and turned around, stalking off before Draco could continue.

"Come _back here, Zabini!"_ Draco shouted. Blaise started whistling. He could hear Draco's growling echo through the large room and Theo's responsive snickers.

The Room of Requirement was an interesting discovery. Blaise knew it existed but he always forgot about it, seeing as he had never actually been in the room itself. He'd heard Flint and Higgs talking about it before, describing the escapades they had had with females within the magic room's walls. It was a lot less grand than he imagined, but perhaps that was because Draco required a room full of literal garbage and not the sex dungeon Flint described.

Maybe that was for the better.

Blaise circled around a pile towards the middle of the room, searching for anything remotely dark and ominous. He knew it wouldn't be that easy. It's not like there'd be a sign anywhere, declaring "Dark Magic! Do not touch!" with several weapon-looking items behind it, radiating dark auras-

"Hey, Draco, I found something evil!" Theo shouted, not too far away from where Blaise was standing.

"Really? Are you sure?" Draco yelled back, on the other side of the room.

"Yeah!" Theo replied. "It's on this dresser that someone labeled _quarantine_ in huge, capital letters. It's an old necklace, I think." Quieter, Theo added, "I'm afraid to touch it."

"I'll be right there!" Draco sounded too excited. Blaise deadpanned and walked in the direction of Theo's voice. Theo _had_ to be joking, the bloke could get rather sarcastic, it's not like that's what he _actually_ saw-

Blaise was wrong. Theo was right; he described it exactly as he saw it. A short, black, antique dresser, littered with scratches and mysterious marks. It had several drawers, some of which were open, and across these drawers in red the word _QUARANTINE_ was marked. On top of the dresser, a bulky necklace lay on display.

"Fucking hell," Blaise groaned. Of course. "Isn't that dangerous?"

"Oh please." Draco came around from behind a separate pile, rolling his eyes. "Of course it's dangerous, that's the point. Now move over, let me see."

Blaise gladly stepped out of the way, whereas Theo lingered closer to the dresser. He pointed at the necklace on top. It sat in a velvet box, carefully placed. "This looks evil."

"Yes, yes it does." Draco nodded and took out his wand, poking at the old jewelry. While the blond did that, Theo crouched down and started rifling through the drawers, seeming to have no qualms about touching clearly dark objects.

This was all sorts of a bad idea. Blaise shifted uncomfortably off to the side. Borgin and Burke's was one of the stores farthest from being his favorite, but it appeared he was in the company of two loyal shoppers.

"Blaise, if you're not going to help, you can leave."

He glanced around the room. "Nah, I'm, uh. Gonna look over here." Quietly, he inched away from the duo and directed his attention towards less obviously evil objects, such as a familiar towering chest. "Isn't this that cabinet that Montague got stuck in last year?"

"I don't know, Blaise," Draco replied, obviously uninterested.

Shrugging, Blaise walked away, not sparing it a second thought.


	26. Chapter 26: Something Special

Akane couldn't believe it. She simply could not. It was a fluke, a chance of pure luck, it had to be. But according to Cormac it was skills.

"So about that quidditch date," he came over to her with a large smile. "There's a Slytherin versus Ravenclaw coming up, so I was thinking we could go together."

"Slytherin and Ravenclaw? When is that?" Akane would honor her words as they flew down on his broom to meet up with Eric.

"This weekend, I could pick you up in front of the dungeons around eleven?" Cormac was really trying his best to impress the girl.

"That sounds fine," she nodded, unsure how this all came about. Indeed she had been able to score every point until the last, for some odd reason the snitch escaped from its confines and decided to throw her off balance by hovering right in between her eyes. Because of that, Cormac's quick reflexes were the only reason she wouldn't be in the hospital wing. But it also meant that she lost the bet, undoubtedly.

"Great, I can't wait." He let her get off first before he dismounted. Then looked to Eric, "Keeper's pretty great, chaser's not too bad."

"Seeker, you'll need to be able to do dives and steep inclines," Akane went to grab her broom which had fallen after she did. "We'll show you how to do that later."

"I got it," Cormac jogged the few hundred feet for her and came back in within two minutes.

"Thank you." Akane replied. Not entirely sure on how to react. Never before had someone done this for her, albeit it doesn't happen often for her, but still. It was new.

"No problem." Cormac gave her a flirtatious wink.

"So when will we set up training? The quidditch tryouts are done, I think." She looked to Cormac who nodded.

"We'll have plenty of time for you to be an all star." Cormac added on, just as enthusiastic as Eric was. For different reasons of course.

"Sundays? Do they work for you both? I don't want to take you away from anything," Eric suddenly became slightly shy.

"I can do Sundays," Cormac replied first and then added. "Most games are on Saturdays so it shouldn't be too much of a problem."

"After breakfast would be a good idea," Akane added. "That way it's not too busy for teams who are trying to practice."

"Alright, so next Sunday!" Eric was more excited than a Hippogriff preparing to eat its favorite meal.

"I should get going then, I have homework." Akane said, doing the next best thing to lift her mind off of Cedric.

"What kind?" Cormac was ready to walk with her.

"Potions, goodbye Eric." She waved as she started to leave knowing that Cormac was still by her side.

"Potions! I love potions, I'm in Slughorn's Slug Club because of how great I am at it." Cormac boasted about himself. If it were any other subject Akane would've found an excuse to leave but it had been potions, the one thing she didn't do outstandingly well in. She wondered about the repercussions it would be if she asked Cormac to help her since he was right next to her. It would be better than seeking that bosu or tracking down Theodore.

"How good are you at potions?" Akane asked as she was about to enter the dungeons.

"Good enough to get into Slug Club, do you need help?"

"I do… See I'm not good at potions, but I can't really ask my housemates because they're… Busy. And the only other person that I know about in my class is Diggory and Abbott. But I don't want to hunt them down."

"I'll be glad to help, I could wait for you to get your things or we could just meet in the library. Which do you prefer?"

"I could meet you in the library, you could snag us a few chairs." Akane replied and with a nod he left. She hustled through the dorms to grab her bag which never ceased to amaze her on how it held everything she needed for the classes.

Akane quickly found that Cormac was occupying one of the seats in the library but before she could wave to him so that he'd know she was there, she spotted a specific Diggory. Wanting to escape the scene she was about to turn around but Cormac saw her, _too late._ Forcing a smile, Akane walked towards her study date.

"Hey," he pulled a seat for her.

"Thank you."

"No problem, so let's see what you've got." He rubbed his hands in anticipation.

She watched as Cormac explain to her step by step why she needed to add this ingredient instead of that one, which to her surprise made sense. The book that Slughorn requires is overly complicated but with Cormac's rewording, it seemed as if potions were the easiest subject in the world.

"Kami, was it really that easy?" Akane looked at her finished essay, bewildered.

"Yeah, all you needed was for me to rephrase a few things but you seem to have a pretty good grasp of it." Cormac smiled at her which she returned wholeheartedly.

"Thank you so much, Cormac. You can't imagine how hard this was without your explanations."

"It's no problem, really. I love potions," he stood up to stretch. "Is that all you need?"

"Yes, I'm good with everything else." Akane started to pack her things while Cormac continued to stand.

"It's almost dinner, would you like to walk with me." He gestured towards the door.

"I'd like that." Akane smiled as she walked side by side with hopefully a new friend. Although she'd heard rumors that he was a pig, well according to Hermione. Cormac wasn't as bad as she thought. He was actually very smart, especially with potions. He just didn't feel the need to express his intelligence to the world, unlike his quidditch skills.

The duo walked into the hall, and Akane suddenly remembered the last two times she came in. Neither of them leaving her with good memories.

"Are you alright?" Cormac asked her as he noticed her body language.

"I'm… I will be," Akane put on a brave face.

"That doesn't mean you are." He scoffed.

"Since when were you so philosophical?"

"The moment you decided to study with me."

"Right. Behind all those hits with the quaffle-"

"Hey!"

"-you just so happen to be a hidden genius."

He didn't respond to the half compliment, half insult. But he did walk her to where Ginny, Hermione, and Harry sat. With a small salute he left and Ginny then began to bombard her with a series of questions. Some ranging from 'are you alright?' to 'since when were you and Mclaggen a thing?' After she answered all of Ginny's questions and apologized profusely to the girl for the earlier incident. Akane began to retell all of them the story of what had happened.

"You're with Cormac now?" Ron decided to speak up with a displeased look.

"No, we just studied." Akane replied unsure why he wasn't happy to be eating like he usually is.

"But you lost a bet and he won a date from you," Ginny smiled not too innocently.

"Still it's McLaggen." Hermione huffed.

"He's not as bad as you might think, Hermione." Akane defended her tutor. "He's actually really smart when it comes to somethings."

"Like what? Himself?" She scoffed while Harry furrowed his brows.

"Since when did you talk to McLaggen?" Harry asked his longtime crush.

"It's not important, it's just that I don't want to see Akane be stuck with some prat." Hermione crossed her arms.

"Don't worry Hermione," Ginny interrupted. "Akane's a big girl she can handle herself, unlike some bints." Ginny looked towards Lavender's direction.

"I suppose, but if he tried anything then don't be afraid to hex him or something! I'm a prefect, I can help you get out of trouble." Hermione put her wand on the table, "I'm being serious."

"Don't worry," Akane smiled at Hermione's tendency to be a tad bit protective. "I'll be fine." _After all, Cedric already hurt me once. It shouldn't be as bad._ Or that's what Akane hoped to think.

Across the dining hall she heard Cho Chang's voice go to extremes as she yelled "Cedric! You didn't even talk to me."

"Cho!" Cedric hissed. "Stop, for the love of Merlin! Stop."

"But Cedric!"

"Cho you're making a scene," Cedric looked from her to Akane. His apologetic eyes almost made her feel guilty for leaving him yesterday but she didn't want to interfere until everything was clear. Specifically _her._

"But Cedric, you never told me why it was over." She held onto him like a lifeline then she followed his eyes. "Is it because of her!"

"What-No!" He was fed up with Cho's half-correct accusations. "I just. Cho, if you really want me to say it then I will. I don't like you in that way."

"What?" She let go of him. "But we went to the ball together!"

"After your friends told me that you wanted to go so badly but you wouldn't without a date, they guilt tripped me." He shot a scathing look to the girls who convinced him to ask Cho. "I even said 'as friends' but you clearly didn't hear that."

"Cedric… I thought we had something special," Cho didn't give up. "No, I know it's not that. You're just… Just confused probably, by _her._ " It didn't take a genius to figure out who 'her' was.

"Cho will you drop it already? I've told you this so many times but-"

"No! I won't give up on us. I love you Cedric," she cried out in the now silent hall.

"Blimey," Ginny whispered. "She's gone mad."

"I can't believe you liked her, Harry." Hermione said.

"I can't either."


	27. Chapter 27: An Unlikely Alliance

The following week proved unsuccessful for Draco and his not-yet-plans, as did the next one, and the one after that. When October hit, and the blond still didn't have any ideas, the first breakdown occurred.

Witnesses Theo and Blaise watched with wide eyes as Draco stormed up to the counter in the Three Broomsticks and demanded a shot of Firewhiskey. "Actually, make that four," Draco corrected. Madam Rosmerta raised a brow at him. "I'm not having a very good day."

"I'm sorry, but you're still underage. I can only serve you butterbeer, dear," Rosmerta apologized.

Draco took a deep, shuddering breath. "Red currant rum," he tried.

"Laws say I can only serve those who are under seventeen-"

"Fine, Merlin, give me butterbeer," he snapped. The blond ran a shaky hand through his normally perfected hair, jaw clenched. Rosmerta spared him another sympathetic glance and went about pouring his drink.

Draco returned to their table in the corner with slightly shaky hands and a half empty drink.

"Drake-"

"I don't want to talk about it," Draco said, cutting Blaise off. He sipped at his beverage angrily, glaring at everyone who walked through the inn doors.

Draco's deterioration was alarmingly obvious. He ditched the first official quidditch practice of the year. Consequently, Pucey kicked him off the team, telling him to "get his act back together." Draco was snappier, too, and angered more easily, which honestly was rather scary. It didn't take much to set the blond off to begin with, but now?

He had become a ticking time bomb.

The past few days, Draco had only eaten one meal a day, a habit worse than Blaise's. He started ditching a few classes, too, obsessed with finding _something_ in the so-called Room of Hidden Things.

Blaise was getting worried, Theo even more so.

"Tell me what I can do."

Draco glanced at Theo, and something sad and resigned flickered in his grey eyes. He shook his head and took another drink. "Nothing, Theo."

"Draco," Theo said, trying to meet the blond's eyes.

"Really," Draco replied, soft and broken. "There's nothing you can do."

A crack in Theo's impenetrable shell. His gaze lingered on the blond, struggling to reach him. Blaise felt like he was imposing on something, but he didn't want to leave.

"Take a day off, Drake," Blaise suggested. He hated to see Draco like this. Anything out of the norm for the youngest Malfoy was always a red flag. "It's October. You've got time."

"But-"

"Just… relax, okay? Get some sleep," Blaise insisted, and Theo nodded. Blaise didn't comment on the darkening bags under Draco's eyes or the worsening pallor of his skin. He certainly didn't say anything about his hair, and how the lack of effort had caused platinum to go a shade darker. Draco wouldn't respond well to _that_ at all. "You need it."

After taking another drink, Draco gave a subtle nod.

Theo took Draco back up to the castle after Draco's second drink. Blaise told the two of them he'd come back later, as there were a few things he needed to do first.

After Akane and Diggory's split, and the chaos with Cho, Diggory approached Blaise before dinner one evening and expressed distress in regards to a particular situation.

"I don't trust Borkan," Diggory blurted, and Blaise had the briefest idea that the guy held little to no tact at all. Instead of insulting the Hufflepuff, as he usually would have, he only lifted a brow and urged Diggory to continue. "I see the way he looks at Akane- I mean. I see the way girls look at _him."_ Diggory was blushing, embarrassed over his stumble. "And he's giving us a run for our money."

"You and I agree on something for once, Diggory," Blaise agreed through narrowed eyes.

"Because, clearly, we _are_ the two best looking blokes in the school," Diggory continued. Like he had to explain anything- Blaise knew _exactly_ what he was talking about.

"Very true," Blaise noted.

Diggory continued. "I've been told I've got a nice jawline, but you have _brilliant_ cheekbones, honestly-"

"Careful, Diggory," Blaise teased. "Any more flattery and I'm going to think you've got a crush on me."

Diggory only gave a flat smile. "Ha, ha. But really. And don't get me started on McLaggen-"

"McLaggen cannot compare," Blaise interjected. "The man is an animal."

"So you get it?" Diggory asked. Blaise knew where all of this was coming from, as it was rather obvious: Akane. Not only had Borkan taken a special interest in her and her "mystical musical talents" as Pansy had phrased it- sourly, he may add- McLaggen had latched onto the girl as well, and had taken Diggory's place. Now, from what Blaise remembered, Diggory and McLaggen usually got along quite well. The two were friendly rivals in the world of quidditch, and had several mutual friends. It seemed that Akane had driven a wedge between the two, unintentionally.

Offhandedly, Blaise asked about Cho.

"What does that have to do with this?" Diggory shot back defensively. "I don't know what you've heard but she and I are _over._ For good."

Blaise hummed and gave a nod.

"But anyway, I think we should do something about this Borkan guy," Diggory concluded. "Meet me at the Hog's Head pub in a couple weeks. I may have an idea."

Fast forward to today, which happened to be that very day that Diggory had planned their meeting for. After waiting a moment and making sure Theo and Draco had successfully made their way to the path back to Hogwarts, Blaise walked back into the town and routed himself to Hog's Head.

The place looked similar to the insides of the Three Broomsticks, but shocking difference was that this pub _hadn't_ been raided by Death Eaters. It just looked like this, on a normal basis. Rickety chairs and old, beaten tables, surrounded by greying walls. Littered throughout the establishment were several patrons, none of which were students, and all of which had some part of their face covered, essentially masking their identities.

All except for Diggory.

Amongst the dark cloaks, Diggory's yellow sweater stuck out like a sore thumb. He waved at Blaise upon entry and Blaise glanced around the room skeptically before taking the seat across from the Hufflepuff.

"Shite, Diggory, you sure blend in," Blaise noted sarcastically.

Diggory shrugged. "You certainly do."

Not sarcasm. "Bit of a low blow coming from you, wouldn't you think?"

"Sorry," Diggory apologized. "I'm just…" _Jealous and bitter? Angry that McLaggen got what you once had? Sad that Akane moved on so quickly?_ "... I have a plan."

At least someone does. Blaise mentally smacked himself. Now was not the time to think about Draco.

"Let's hear it, then." Blaise jerked his chin at Diggory and leaned back in his chair.

In his hands, Diggory cradled a cup of hot chocolate. _What a child._ "Love potions."

"Love potions?"

"Yeah."

A pause. "What, is that it?"

"I mean." Diggory shrugged, looking sheepish. "They work, right?"

"Bloody hell," Blaise berated. "You're not very good at this, are you?"

"I'm a Hufflepuff."

Blaise hummed. "Fair point."

Another pause. Blaise glanced back down at Diggory's drink.

"Zabini?"

"I'm thinking," he replied, curtly. Then he gestured to Diggory's beverage. "Get me one of those, will you?"

Diggory just kind of looked at him for a moment, then stood up and walked over to the bar. He returned a moment later with another hot chocolate, and he set it down on the table in front of Blaise.

Blaise hummed a thank you and told Diggory of his thoughts. "We need to remind Hogwarts who we are. Build up the hype, get the fan clubs going, stuff like that."

"Yeah, alright," Diggory nodded, eager. He reminded Blaise a bit like a puppy.

"Now," Blaise began, "you realize that means flirting, right?"

Diggory wilted.

Blaise sighed. "It's probably against your Hufflepuff code, but you might have to play dirty. If you want your reputation- and Akane- back, you might just have to be a little bit Slytherin."

"I didn't say anything about-"

"It was implied. I can read you like a book, Diggory. You like the girl, and you're jealous," Blaise said. "So we're going to make her jealous back. _And_ we're going to remind Hogwarts who the best looking is."

Diggory regarded him for a moment. "Why are you helping me?"

Shrugging, Blaise replied, "Well, Borkan needs to go. That much is obvious."

"That's a joint effort," Diggory said. It was. "But Akane-"

"I'm bored," Blaise claimed. "Look, Diggory, as the saying goes: don't look a gift horse in the mouth." He took a large gulp of the hot chocolate- sweet, and scalding, and now his mouth was burnt beyond belief- and continued. "I'll help you as long as you don't tell a bloody soul I'm doing it."

Diggory nodded vigorously. "Understood."

"Good. Now," Blaise said, "Do you have any girl in mind?"

"For what?"

"Merlin, Diggory, did you hear me at all? If you want to get Akane's attention, make her jealous." Blaise knew the chances of this working was fifty-fifty, so he hoped for the best, simply to get the sickeningly sweet ex-couple out of his hair. Ever since Akane started talking to McLaggen, Pansy had started vying after "Cedric, the sex god, son of Apollo!" again and smack talk about the Gryffindors multiplied by four. Like Blaise hadn't heard enough already.

At least this way, he and Diggory could take care of the Borkan situation together. And once the professor was taken care of, they could focus on the Cedric-Akane reunion, which would ultimately make Blaise, once again, Hogwart's hottest bachelor.

It all worked out in the end.

"Right, right, okay," Diggory blurted. "Yeah, sure. But what about Borkan? You don't actually want to _take him out,_ do you?"

A handsome, foreign professor who focused on Muggle Music studies? Why, yes, Blaise did, but he didn't say that outloud.

"What? No. That's- no," Blaise lied, shaking his head. "No, I've got an idea."

"Which is?"

"We set him up."

* * *

It was easier said than done.

Blaise and Diggory brainstormed eligible teachers for Borkan to get with, which totalled three. Madam Pince- whom they quickly crossed off the list, seeing as she was a tad too old and many ounces too grumpy-, Sybil Trelawney, and Aurora Sinistra.

Though Diggory insisted on Trelawney, he quickly gave up on fighting for the woman. Albeit young and rather fit, the woman was a mental disaster and would probably ruin the relationship with her crystal ball analyzations and pocket deck of tarot cards.

"She'd try to predict the entire relationship," Blaise argued.

Diggory open his mouth to retort, but shut it quickly.

Next was Aurora Sinistra, professor of Astronomy. "She's strict," Diggory was quick to remark. "She's pretty, but she's strict. Borkan seems… laidback."

He had a point. "I don't think we've got any laidback female professors, Diggory."

Diggory hummed. Then, "Wait, no. There's one."

This was the first Blaise had heard of it. "Shite, who?"

"Professor Hilaria Marks," Diggory replied. "She teaches Ghoul Studies. I think she's American. But I've never actually joined the club, so…"

Suddenly, Blaise remembered what Padma had asked him, roughly a month ago.

It appeared Blaise was going to join Ghoul Studies after all.


	28. Chapter 28: Cormac, the boyfriend

After their first date, it progressed into a second, then a third. Suddenly they were officially dating after a month of study sessions, teaching Eric how to fly without the fear of falling (which was successful she might add), and a few dates, where he had been nothing less of a flirtatious gent. Of course everyone had their faults, like he was sometimes overly confident and she had no problem taking him down a peg or two, or the times where he would do something stupid that'd earn him a detention. But still, she very much liked Cormac McLaggen.

Even Hermione seemed to be alright with his presence around her. Which to Akane, was a huge success. The month of September passed without a hitch, well except quidditch practices with her team captain. Don't get her wrong, she liked Cormac McLaggen, a lot. But there was something about Cedric being the first to ever take interest in her at this school which left her with a bittersweet taste. Especially after the multiple times she refused to spend time with him after anything but practice and class.

The first time it happened was when they were in potions, and he had asked her if he could walk her to her next class. Surprising him with a 'no' she simply left him in her wake. This continued of course, because Cedric was just as stubborn about things as he was about anything else. Yet, Akane was simply done with him. She was tired of looking back at the past, because it reminded her of how she didn't belong and he was simply the trigger.

She had done her best thought, to remain civil with him. During practice she spoke when needed to, same with class because she couldn't outright ignore him. That was above her. The strange part is that she confided in Cormac about almost everything that happened with Cedric. She didn't know why but for some reason it felt right to tell him about these things. Things that only Daphne and Ginny may or may not know. Thus, it was one of the many reasons Akane started to date Cormac officially.

He simply understood her, and she him.

"Is this right?" Professor Borkan asked as he played the music piece for the fifth time. Still not understanding the way that the hulusi was supposed to be played. Yet she couldn't blame him, it took her years. He only had a few days worth of hulusi training, and he was doing really well. She even told him herself, but he of course hated that he hadn't perfected the instrument yet.

"You're trying too hard," she told him as she held her own hulusi.

"What do you mean?" He gripped his slightly.

"It sounds forced, painfully so." Akane replied while playing a portion of the piece he botched up the most. "That's what it's supposed to sound like. Calm, sweet, nothing painful or dreading. Does that make sense?"

"How am I supposed to do that?" The young professor was clearly frustrated. Not only had he found over fifteen spying spells in his room the past week; he had also been working as much as possible for the girls in his club to understand that he wasn't there to shag them but to teach them muggle music. But the absolute worst part had to be, that the only girl who wasn't obsessed with him was dating a boy named Cormac McLaggen, and Borkan just so happened to like the girl in a way that was extending beyond friendship. This of course was forbidden, but he couldn't help it.

He finally understood why Diggory was enchanted with her from the beginning. Akane Mikoshiba was surely something else. She wasn't like Hermione Granger, the young witch who could outsmart practically every student. She wasn't like Cho Chang, who relied on her cute ways to keep a man by her side- which she seemed to always desperately need one. She was definitely not like Pansy Parkinson or Lavender Brown who obtained their popularity through ways that would most certainly make their parents disapprove.

She was different.

She was Akane Mikoshiba. The witch who was one of the reasons that the Tengu did so well during their last season. The quidditch player who hated potions but joined Slug Club for the sake of Hermione. The Slug Club member who didn't do anything to steal his attention, but it just happened.

Like the quill. How was he supposed to know that there was a matching pair, and that she had to just own it? He had to remain conscious every time he wrote with that one too. It wasn't like he could tell her that her professor was writing to her as a friend who was secretly learning as much about her as he possibly could in hopes that he'd be able to snatch her out of McLaggen's hands.

"Here," she moved out of her chair to position his hands on the hulusi. "Keep your movements light. Airy almost."

"Right." He watched as her somewhat calloused hands leave his and tried again. Hopefully not making a fool out of himself once more. After he was finished he was congratulated with a smile adorning her face, he almost wished he had a photograph of this smile that was given just to him. Yet, she had to realise the time. Claiming something along the lines of being almost late if she didn't now for the quidditch match against Gryffindor, she bid her adieu and he almost wished he'd gotten the piece wrong so that she could stay a moment longer.

"Good luck!" He yelled out the door as he watched her wave back at him with a smile.

As Akane ran to the quidditch pitch because she already had her uniform on. Ready to destroy her boyfriend, Ginny, Harry, and Ron during the match; she watched as Cedric and herself were the first to arrive. Wondering if the clock was wrong or she'd just ran a tad too fast, she did her best to avoid a conversation of any sorts.

"Are you ready?" Cedric asked neutrally.

"Yes."

"Do you think we'll beat them?"

"Of course," she smirked as she _convinced_ her boyfriend to teach her how Gryffindor does a majority of their maneuvers around the field. Specifically himself. Although he wasn't the main keeper this year, he was a beater. Teaching her who he aims for or how he aims in general, then he sometimes went on about how Harry's strong points in being the seeker was and how Ron's defence lacks on the left side.

Which meant that'd be the side she'd aim for.

"Are you excited?" Cedric was pulling straws at how to start a conversation with her.

"I am. Can't wait to see Cormac's face when I keep the scores going," Akane didn't see Cedric's face as she mentioned her boyfriend.

"Why is that?" He was slightly peeved.

"Because we have another bet. And I don't want to lose this one," Akane stretched her limbs while Cedric simply watched.

"What did you wager?"

"When we win, I told him that I wanted him to carry me for the entire day." Akane giggled at the thoughts of Cormac giving her a piggyback ride to each and everyone of her classes. "I wonder if he'll really do it, that's the question though."

Cedric smiled slightly as she giggled, although if she wanted him to carry her to her classes for a day he wouldn't need a bet to do it. But then it dawned on him, what kind did McLaggen want from Akane if they won? The horror was much too real for him, he was almost tempted to ask but she simply told him.

"But if, and only if we lose. Then I'm going to the after party," Akane didn't mention the flurries of kisses that might come along with that territory, but seeing Cedric already on the edge was concerning enough. She didn't want to lose, not because she minded her boyfriend's lips which always tasted of butterscotch, but because her pride would hurt severely. She herself hadn't lost a game with the Tengu, but during practice when the Hufflepuff team split up to practice against each other. Her team lost and, although it was practice, she hated it with a burning passion.

"Really? That's all?" Cedric slightly pried wanting to know what exactly Cormac wanted. Cedric knew that that McLaggen isn't the gent he was, or at least he heard about Cormac's romantic adventures enough. That in his younger years he was having special quidditch lessons with every other quidditch girl, regardless of their house.

"Why does it matter?" Akane watched Cedric's slight glare, "Even if there was more to it, it wouldn't matter to you."

"It would," Cedric came closer to her in which she backed away.

"Why is that any of your business?"

"Because," the captain became flustered. "It does, for the sake of the team."

"What?"

"I don't want despondency from you just because you want to win a bet," Cedric pulled explanations out of his arse.

"Sure Diggory," he flinched in the way she said his name. "Just make sure you keep your head on right and get the damn snitch. Before Harry beats you to it."

Without another word, she noticed the other players conglomerate around them as if they were the main event of the whole show. Akane did her best to not shoot Diggory a scathing look and mounted her broom, ready for their entrance.

As the game started, Akane was naturally faster than any of the chaser's even Ginny, so she was able to steal the quaffle first. As she raced to the right side of the hoops, Ron saw this and immediately prepared for it. But what he didn't see coming was her aiming for the middle loop. Cormac knew something was up when Akane was asking about quidditch routines, so he slipped a small lie to her about Ron's left side being weak, when it really was the middle. She of course, disregarded the information as soon as she saw Ron prepare to block the left hoop although on the right side.

Dodging bludgers coming from her opponent's side, she was able to successfully score the first points in the match, much to Ron's scowl. As she swooped back around ready to steal the quaffle again from her dear friend Ginny, she was surprised to see a bludger narrowly miss her. Looking up to see who was hitting, she noted that the beaters were not even looking at her.

Adrenaline rushing through her veins made her feel just as alive as she played with the Tengu, although their points weren't a significant gap. It was enough to keep her feeling like she was on cloud nine. Especially after stealing the quaffle from her very own boyfriend.

The score was one-twenty to one hundred, with them in the lead. A few more scores and they'd have the game in the bag. That was until she saw the bludger hit down Hannah Abbott right in the gut. She didn't think much about it as she dived for Hannah's falling body, but what she didn't think of was that the bludger that hit Hannah nicked the back of her broom ever so slightly to shake her balance.

 _Something's not right,_ Akane caught Hannah right before she hit the dirt. She moved her friends body to one of the stretchers for the medical wing, but before she could get anywhere near the quaffle again, the bludger did a little more than nick her broom. It hit the straws, strongly enough that her enchanted cleaning equipment was no longer useful.

Screaming was not an option because she was too busy flaring her arms out in a moment of mid-panic. She quickly took out her wand but she couldn't remember single spell that'd save her bones from being crushed on impact. Akane watched as the dirt came closer and people cry in shock and gasp in horror.

Suddenly she was suspended in mid-air, looking around she saw that Borkan was the reason she hadn't gone splat on the ground. But she was still fairly high in the air.

"Akane!" Cedric and Cormac came to her floating side while she saw that Jack Sloper had been trying to wrestle down the rogue bludger. Yet the game still continued seeing as the players still fought for the quaffle.

"Take my hand," Cormac reached out to her, unsure of how the spell Borkan used would allow her to simply climb on. She did as she was told but as soon as she touched Cormac's hands, the bludger that was going insane ended up hitting the stands where Borkan stood. Meaning that the concentration on the spell that had kept her afloat was gone.

"Aii," Akane screamed as the grip wasn't strong enough to keep her in his hands. Yet Cedric saw it coming and took the opportunity to save her.

One gallant swoop later, she was being held in Diggory's arms. A place she once thought to be a dream which was now either true or a nightmare. As he landed on the ground along with Cormac McLaggen, he was the first to look her over, seeing if she was injured but then he was pushed aside by Cormac who was just as frantic. Seeing as she was fine, he gave her a crushing hug.

"Cormac," Akane tried to breath with the two vowels.

"Let her go, you're hurting her." Cedric pushed the two apart clearly agitated slightly, but he didn't want her to get hurt any further.

"I'm sorry, are you alright?" Cormac held the two of her arms.

"I'm fine, thanks to-"

"Ms. Mikoshiba!" Borkan ran down to the field, breathless much to the displeasure of the two boys next to her. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, it's all thanks to you three." She smiled still a little shaken.

"Are you sure?" Cormac looked into her eyes trying to see if she was lying.

"I'm fine, Cor. Just give me a new broom and I'll be ready to play in no time!"

"No you aren't," Cedric looked at her incredulously.

"What do you mean?"

"You could be injured, Madam Pomfrey should take a look."

"I'm fine," she stressed waving her arms around.

"Still, I don't think you should play." Her team captain rejected her chance of obtaining a victory.

"I agree, Love. I don't think it's safe." Cormac piped in with worry clear as day.

"But I'm thirty points away!" Akane looked at all three of them. "You can't do this, I-"

"I can, and I just might." Diggory gave her a look she's never seen before. To that she wanted to grab the beater's stick and hit him on the head. But before she could grab one the snitch decided to show it's face in front of her. Landing gently into her palm as if belonged there from the start.

"And, what's this? Akane Mikoshiba has caught the golden snitch!" The intercom screamed. "Akane Mikoshiba from Hufflepuff has caught the golden snitch everybody! Hufflepuff wins!"

Turning to see Cormac's dumbstruck face along with Cedric's utter confusion, she couldn't help smile; which almost made Borkan swoon. "Looks like I'll be cashing in on that bet on Monday, Cor."

Which the reply was a grumble.


	29. Chapter 29: Operation Borkan

The gossip that stirred from the results of the Hufflepuff vs. Gryffindor game circled around the school like crazy. Pansy had even started a betting pool on which male Akane would end up with, which many students were currently taking part in.

"Will it be Cedric, our school's Adonis, golden boy, son of Apollo? Will it be Professor Borkan, the mysterious Muggle Music teacher? Or will it be Cormac McLaggen… a Gryffindor?" She paused in her exclamations. Beside her, Millicent was taking money and keeping track of the pools forming. Pansy pursed her lips, staring down at the paper. "Personally, I'm team Cormac."

"I thought you hated Cormac," Tracey Davis said, handing money over to Millicent. Blaise couldn't see which male she had bet on, as he was standing too far away, watching over his two peers. The girls had set up a table outside the Great Hall and were collecting bets from students as they entered and left lunch.

Pansy smiled. "I do! If Akane sticks with him, then Borkan and Cedric are officially bachelors, once again!"

"Akane _is_ dating Cormac," Millicent stated.

"Well, yes, but who knows how long that's going to last?" Pansy asked. "We all thought her and Cedric were tied up, but nope! How the tables have turned!"

Blaise stepped away from his observation post on the other side of the hallway and abandoned the idea of entering the Great Hall. With Pansy standing there, the corridor was getting rather crowded and the volume only rose upon entry to the grand dining hall. So he opted for the kitchens instead.

After only a moment, Blaise found himself in the kitchens and surprisingly, eye to eye with a startled Diggory.

"Fancy meeting you here," Blaise greeted sourly.

Diggory offered a weak wave. "I couldn't go in the Great Hall. That Parkinson girl would screech at me every time I walked by. It felt like she was getting ready to pounce on me."

Blaise sat down at the table with Diggory and tsked disapprovingly. "Yeah, well, Pansy's a bit of a harpy, so I'd avoid her." He paused. "What happened out there?"

"Where?"

"The quidditch pitch," Blaise continued. "What was _that_?"

Diggory shrugged, sheepish. "I don't know, I worry about her-"

"You shouldn't," Blaise interrupted. "She's obviously got her eyes set on that heathen, so stop acting like an obedient dog."

Offended, Diggory gasped, " _Obedient dog_?"

"Did you do what I told you to?"

Still on edge, Diggory started rambling. "What, flirt with other girls? How is that supposed to help me? You _just said_ that Akane's 'got her eyes set on that heathen,'" cue air quotes, "so how is flirting supposed to get her attention? I rarely see her anymore, it's not like she's going to notice-"

Blaise gave Diggory a look. "Clearly it won't, seeing as _someone_ isn't putting forth the effort."

Diggory only stared back and stabbed his sandwich rather harshly, white-knuckled grip around the handle of his knife.

"Calm down, boy," Blaise chastised teasingly. "It's only been a bit of time. I suppose that approach won't work either way, so we're going to have to do something else."

"Like what?"

"Show her you don't need her." Blaise eyed Diggory carefully. The Hufflepuff's reluctance didn't go unnoticed. "Right now, you're acting desperate. As Pansy would say, 'it's unbecoming.' So you need to be the better man here and act like this doesn't bother you in the slightest."

Diggory sighed. "That's not always easy."

"I don't see why not."

Shaking his head, Diggory set down the knife. "I'm not a Slytherin, Zabini. Hufflepuffs value honesty and hard work and such. My instinct is to be true and put forth the effort to win her back."

"Flaw," Blaise declared, causing Diggory to frown. "Akane's a Slytherin, but she's on _your_ quidditch team, and she hangs out with _Gryffindors._ Not sure if she's in cahoots with the Ravenclaws yet, but it's bound to happen. You're focusing too much on what you are and not what you _can_ be. If Akane can have qualities that come from each of the houses, so can you."

His point flew right over Diggory's head. "Which means?"

"Which _means,"_ Blaise reiterated, "that just being a Hufflepuff won't cut it. Being a Slytherin and being _around_ Slytherins taught me that appearances matter and acting is a highly useful skill. Seeing you behave like a pathetic pup _actually_ sickens me."

Diggory contemplated his words for a moment, then: "So, what? You want me to act like you?"

"Actually, that would be perfect."

Diggory shook his head. "No. I'm sorry Zabini, but you can be a right arse sometimes."

"That's the fun part."

Diggory sighed and took a defeated bite of his sandwich. Dobby came up and asked if Blaise would like anything, in which Blaise replied that some pumpkin juice would be fine.

After the elf came back, Diggory spoke. "Fine. I'll play your game and act like I don't care. But I'm _not_ impersonating you."

"Works for me," Blaise said.

"Now," Diggory continued with a subject change. "Operation Borkan."

"Operation Borkan?"

Diggory nodded. "Yeah, it's the name of our mission to take Borkan out of the game and reinstate our dominance-"

Slightly disturbed by his word choice, Blaise cut Diggory off. "Yes, right. First Ghoul Studies meeting was Thursday."

"Did you go?"

Blaise deadpanned. "What do you think?" He tried again. "Yeah, I went."

He remembered it clearly. He met up with Padma that evening after dinner and followed Sue Li and her to the clubroom. It was oddly dark in there, though it was constructed like any other room in the castle.

He sat down next to Padma in the third row, feeling out of place. There were a few Slytherins in the club, but they chose to sit near the back, and were a year or two younger than him. One seventh year, Cassius Warrington, sat on Blaise's other side, and he was secretly glad. Didn't want people to think he consorted with Ravenclaws or anything, no no.

Blaise totally did, but that wasn't the point.

Black flames flared on the torches throughout the room, providing an odd glow. His white button down simply illuminated in the dark, as did several eerie sketches on the walls. Ghosts, ghouls, poltergeists, and apparitions could be found drawn and hung from wall to floor. The tables were lined up similarly to those in Transfiguration, but seeing as this was an extra-curricular and not a class, pupils from all four houses were present and mixed around the room.

The last student came in and the door shut behind her with a heavy slam. Whispers died down, leaving the group of students in complete silence in the near pitch black room.

"The fuck," Cassius breathed. Much like Blaise, he probably didn't know very much about what he was getting into. Actually, he _clearly_ didn't know, as he leaned over and asked, "This isn't some freak cult, is it?"

Blaise could only shrug.

At the front of the room, a door opened and creaked shut, and a shadow entered the room from the back office. It stood behind a podium and lit four equally placed candles along the edge of the stand, bringing light to the shadow's face.

A woman. She had long, wavy, snow white hair and glowing golden eyes. Her face was smooth and polished- not a flaw in sight- and her lips were a dark purple, pursed. She was beautiful, anyone could see that. It was amazing that Blaise had never seen her before.

She pulled down the hood of her black cloak and cracked a grin.

"Well _hello_ students!" she announced, American accent strong and Western. "I'm Professor Hilaria Marks. Welcome to Ghoul Studies!"

A few awkward "hi's" replied from the audience. Blaise couldn't get his mouth to move, captured by her ethereal beauty. _Is this woman even human?_

"Right, let's get some lights on in here," Marks laughed, casting a few spells and changing the black flames to those of natural orange and gold. "I like the dark. You never know what you'll find."

In the light, Marks was even paler. Her hair shined a pretty silver and her eyes appeared less intense. She pushed back the sleeves of her cloak and fixed her hair. She was _actually_ flawless, perfectly proportioned and beautiful in every form of the word. Her graceful movements and effortless manners made Blaise immediately distrust her. _Definitely not human._

"So," Marks began, grinning down at her new students. "What do we know about ghouls and the like?"

Cue story time. Sue Li was the first to go, and she described an encounter she had at her grandparent's cottage with a ghost when she was little. Marks replied with open enthusiasm, asking questions about origins and ghostly behaviour.

Once attention turned to someone on the other side of class, Cassius leaned over and asked Blaise, "So why you'd join?"

"Bored," Blaise told a half-truth. "You?"

"Heard the teacher was hot."

Blaise snorted.

The club lasted an hour and a half. Marks told them club was typically shorter, but as this was the first day, she wanted to get to know everyone and do a rundown of the class. She was friendly and _much_ peppier than any other teacher Blaise knew, but she clearly knew her stuff, and didn't appear to be off her rocker like Trelawney. She had an American sense of humor, too, and laughed at her own jokes a few times.

Perfectly alright. She was different, and sometimes that was good.

After club, Blaise hung back a moment to talk to Cassius about this year's quidditch season. Cassius Warrington was an alright bloke, a little bit of a douche at times but easy to talk to. He was close with Graham Montague before Graham had that incident with the Vanishing Cabinet. Now, Cassius was quieter, and oddly, a bit more vulgar.

It appeared they had hung back a moment too long, as they were the last to leave the room. Before they could do that, though, Marks came up to them.

"So," she started, smiling at the two. "What brought you two boys here?"

"I like ghouls," Blaise said, the lie rolling off his tongue. "Theo recommended I attend the club."

Marks nodded. "I remember Theo. Very smart kid. Very _haunted,_ too, like he had seen a few things." She shrugged at Blaise's questioning look and raised brow. "Just something I noticed."

"I don't really believe in ghosts." _Wow,_ Blaise thought, _right out with it._ Cassius must've lost some tact, too, after Graham became a vegetable.

"Ouch," Marks laughed. "That's alright. We can change that."

Cassius smirked. "I bet we can."

Marks laughed again, but her eyes had hardened. "Rascal! Get out of here before I report you." It was a joke. "But really, I'm glad you two boys came. I hope you learn something. Ghouls, ghosts, poltergeists… you can never just assume, you know? I've met a few demons back in my past, back when I lived in the States, but that's a story for another day." She bid them a wave, gliding back to her office door. "I'll see you guys later."

Blaise shook himself out of his reverie, bringing himself back to the present.

"So?" Diggory asked. "How was it?"

"Alright," Blaise replied. "Next club meeting is Thursday after dinner."

"Do you think it'll work?" Blaise knew what Diggory was referring to. Could Marks be a potential option for Borkan? The chances that they had already met were rare.

Marks had to be the same age as Borkan, perhaps only a year or two older, but she spoke like a student. She, like Borkan, wasn't from around here, and her entire story was a mystery. Really, though, how long had that woman been here without anyone noticing, or saying anything?

Her entity begged a few questions, but Blaise supposed those could wait until the next meeting.

"Yeah," Blaise nodded, resolute. "It'll work."


	30. Chapter 30: Cedric, Slytherin fan

Much to her surprise, Cormac honored his words and carried her to each and every one of her classes on Monday. She couldn't say that it was terrible being carried like a princess, but she did have to get over the awkward start. It was nice to see him more often because typically their classes were fairly far apart, which made her concerned for his own. She repeatedly asked him if he'd be late, but he responded with a nay.

After the day ended she was asking constantly if his back hurt, even the slightest. But he only gave her a small kiss and a smile once they arrived at her dormitory.

As Cormac watched her enter the lair of the snakes, he inwardly smirked. It was hard enough to not know about Parkinson's betting pool, although he was sure his girlfriend didn't bother if it had anything to do with Parkinson. Regardless, he could seriously cash in on this bet that had been going on, about which male would she end up with. It was between Diggory, Borkan, and himself. Seeing as Diggory dug himself a hole he wasn't a threat. Borkan's special music lessons might pose an issue, but he figured that Borkan was smart enough to not go for a student. So that left himself, and if they thought that he'd leave her just like _that,_ they had another thing coming. He was so sure that he'd keep her, that he placed a twenty gallon bet on himself.

Akane went into her shared room with the absent Daphne Greengrass. She flopped on her bed with a sigh of content. Despite of all things that'd happen over the past month, everything eventually soothed down. Especially after she and Ginny locked Harry and Hermione in one of the empty classrooms.

The pair was angered at first, but after Ginny said they should shut their trap and snog already. Their soft whispers of confessions and then the sound of a few desks moving. Akane and Ginny high-fived at a job well done. Funniest part was that the door wasn't locked at all, they just held the knob so that any alohomora would be useless. To think that the brightest witch of her age and the boy who lived got outsmarted by such a simple idea.

* * *

The next few days passed like a blur of potion labs, charm papers, and transfiguration practice. Along with a taste of the defense against the dark arts. Although busy, it had been Friday and Hannah had been absent during their practices and during D.A.D.A. So as she walked to the hospital wing with a small castella cake.

As she looked for Hannah's bed, she saw that Diggory was there as well. Both seemingly very happy, she was almost unsure if she wanted to break the moment. Although Diggory still gave her the unsettling feeling in her stomach. Akane prefered to have Hannah happy, even if it meant it was with Diggory.

Still, she had her pride. With cake in hand she walked over to Hannah who smiled even wider with her presence.

"Hey," Hannah greeted. "I was waiting for you to come around, I never got to thank you properly. From what I've heard, I would've been in a worse state if you didn't catch me."

"Never a problem, that's what friends are for." Akane then presented the decorated sponge cake to Hannah.

"Merlin, I've never seen this before." Hannah was most likely like Akane, blissfully unaware of the betting pool that'd been going around. "Have you Cedric?"

Remembering Zabini's words, he shortened his reply to a simple 'no.' Although he'd like to see one for himself.

"It's sponge cake, called castella." Akane then explained the process of which it took to make the small cake, frostings, and sliced berries. "It's typically made for occasions but I thought you'd like to try it."

"Thanks. Um, accio forks and plates." Hannah called for three of each and dished out each slice of cake before Cedric could leave.

He had been failing.

Epicly.

Zabini said that he should be cold towards Akane, yet Hannah was here and she'd call him out on it. Which would in turn, make his guilt go into overdrive. Chalk it off to his stupid moral sensibility but he didn't have the heart to just leave the wing.

"Nonsense, you need to eat it too." Hannah held out a plate towards Akane.

"But I already tried enough when I was making it."

"Sharing is caring, that's what they say. You wouldn't want me to be uncaring would you?" Before Akane could reply Hannah put a forkful of cake into her mouth. "Don't talk with your mouth open, it's not polite."

After she finished chewing she muttered something along the lines of Hannah being more Slytherin-like than she was. To which Hannah laughed. Cedric did his best to stop cracking a smile, missing how it felt to be around her. As he told Zabini, he never really sees her anymore. And if he does she doesn't engage him in a conversation or she's with _that_ bastard.

"I think I should get going," Akane looked at Hannah. "There's a game tomorrow, and I don't want to miss it."

"Slytherin versus Gryffindor! I can't believe I'm in the bloody hospital wing for one of the biggest house rivalry matches of the season!" Hannah tugged at her hair.

"Right," Akane was buzzing with excitement while Cedric's mood fluctuate.

"Who are you gonna cheer for?" Hannah asked Cedric seeing as he was more standoffish than usual, although she knew about the tensions between the two. She hoped that they'd be at least speak to each other more than simple yes' and no's.

"Slytherin." His reply surprised both young women.

"Why Slytherin?" Hannah asked.

"Yeah, why Slytherin?" Akane repeated to which he shrugged. Perhaps it was annoying that he was being like this in front of Hannah, or she was just unused to hearing Diggory give simple replies. Either way she didn't care for it.

"What kind of answer is that?" Hannah asked with a little ire. It was no secret that she didn't like Slytherins save a few.

"I think their team is better this year." Cedric defended his partner in crime like a true Hufflepuff.

"Are you serious? Malfoy's not the greatest, but he was their seeker for five years. From what I know, he's gotten himself kicked off." Hannah scoffed, "Besides, Potter's gotten better at being a seeker. So Pucey will be in serious trouble if he doesn't figure out something soon."

"I agree," Akane then added. "Ron's defence isn't perfect but it's far from horrible; Ginny's speed for a chaser is almost as good as mine; as Hannah said Harry's gotten better, Jack Sloper is a pretty decent beater along with Trudy Winstead-"

"Then Cormac McLaggen's range is ridiculously large," Hannah interrupted wanting to be apart of the analysis. "My bet's on Gryffindor."

"I agree." Akane looked to Cedric to see what his argument was. But he simply shrugged. "Anyways, I really should get going-"

"Right," Hannah smiled. "I'll see you later?"

"Sounds about right, I'll tell you how the match goes." Akane was about to walk through the doors until Pomfrey ushered Cedric out of the wing, saying that visiting hours were done. Akane being ahead of him, quickened the pace. Confrontation was something she didn't want, not from Cedric. Perhaps it was because it was late and she had quidditch practice with him earlier along with potions and he only gave her pathetic responses, which in turn spiked her ire. The last thing she needed was to blow up in front of her team captain, otherwise she'd end up getting kicked off like Malfoy. Yet his footsteps though were heavier and harder to ignore, it was as if he wanted for her to know that he was there. There to not speak more or less decently to her.

It was something she didn't like. And it'd have to change. Soon.

* * *

The stands were roaring with cheers as she entered the stands with Hermione. They both decided to do something cute and with the use of magic Hermione and herself were able to make a few changes to a muggle sweater. Hermione had sported a number seven on her front while Akane proudly had a three.

Akane even thought to decorate her hair with a few ribbons, in a style that wasn't atrocious as Lavender Brown's. Which she even offered to Hermione, but the girl refused saying that'd be too bold of herself.

The matched started in favor of Slytherin, where Zabini had reached the quaffle first. The Gryffindor's stand erupted in boos while the other side exploded in cheers. It went on like this until the score was almost tied near the hundred mark. Akane could see that Harry was doing his best to finish the game off as quickly as possible, chasing the snitch left and right. Adrian Pucey was the filler for Malfoy, who had been on Harry's tail.

Once another goal was scored by Ginny, she could hear Hermione scream at the Gryffindor team to win already, which caused Akane to laugh.

The weather turned sour, rain started to hit everyone and Akane could only imagine how hard it must be to play in such conditions. As the score was one forty to one forty, Akane waited with baited breath. Due to the alarming weather, only the most loyal of fans had stayed within the stands. As Akane looked around, only Hermione, Brown, Parvati, and twelve other people she couldn't identify had stayed. Soaked to the bones, but they were there.

As she watched carry the quaffle once more towards Ron, Ginny intercepted. So it began the game of stealing the quaffle, even Adrian helped to intercept but he never touched the ball himself. She was almost ready to jump on the new broomstick she got not too long ago, and win the game for the Gryffs. But Hermione started screaming happily and Akane heard over the intercom.

"Cormac Mclaggen and Ginny Weasley scored the winning hoop! That's it everyone, Gryffindor wins! Gryffindor wins!"

As Hermione and herself held each other's arms and jumped up and down in euphoria. Soon enough Cormac flew over to Akane and dipped his head down low enough to give her a sweet kiss and the details of the afterparty. Hermione then teased the poor girl as she was unprepared for his courageous act of affection.

"That's what happens when you date a Gryffindor, Love." Cormac winked, then flew back to where the rest of teammates were.

The afterparty was held in the Gryffindor common room, which was a bigger event than Akane expected. After Hermione had dried the both of them with a few modified spells, Akane couldn't help but wonder how exactly do these people get firewhiskey into the school. But as she saw that everyone was having fun. It was a forgotten curiosity.

"Hey, Love." Cormac came over to her slightly drunk as he was using her to steady himself.

"Cor." She noticed that he was still soaking wet. "Aren't you cold?"

"Not if you'll warm me up, I won't be."

"But then I'll get wet." She raised a brow.

"In which way?" He waggled his brows suggestively.

"Cor!" She turned slightly pink then slapped his shoulder.

"What? It's not my fault that _my girlfriend_ is the sexiest thing in this school."

"How much did you drink? Really?" She shook her head slightly but as she looked around Ron was already on the floor, Harry was probably dragged out by Hermione to who knows where, and Ginny was chatting it up with Neville. Off to the side, there were a bunch of unknown Gryffindors who were just playing a game of truth or dare.

"Only a swig," then he paused. "Or two."

"I see." She mused.

"What're you thinking, Love? I know that face of yours," he tilted down slightly with a grin on his face, whether it be from the whiskey or winning the match it didn't matter.

"Do you?" She watched as his eyes as they looked at her customized sweater, which the number just so happened to match up with the jersey he was wearing.

"I do," he then whispered about some sort of drying spell that worked well enough in his intoxicated state. "I know when you're not very happy about something you make a scrunchy face, or if your really happy you make the prettiest smile I've ever seen. Then there are those cute faces when you make when you're confused about potions, and the determined faces you make when you play quidditch. But most of all." He whispered in her ear, "I like your face the most when I'm bringing you to the edge. It's quite compelling to look at."

She blushed slightly but then replied, "is that so?"

"Absolutely."

"Blimey!" Ginny called to her and Cormac. "You two get a room already, or at least someplace where I'm not." Which caused laughter among the magic wielders.

"What do you say, Love? Give this champ a taste of heaven?"

"I'd say that there's a prefects bathroom with one of the largest tubs I've ever seen," it was her turn to mess with him a bit. "Would you like to join me?"

With a slightly wolfish grin he scooped her up like he had on Monday and exited the door accompanied by the cheers and jokes of their friends in the common room.


	31. Chapter 31: The Bathroom Incident

The moods of the players post-game were sour, and they could only worsen with the pouring rain and Pucey's nagging.

"What the _hell_ was that, Warrington? Were you playing quidditch or practicing for the ballet out there? Greengrass, Merlin, Greengrass… you're supposed to hit the _bludger!_ Not my bloody head!"

"I don't know, Pucey. Idea seems pretty tempting," Daphne drawled, in the middle of shucking off her wet gear. Blaise had already tossed his off and was drying his clothes underneath.

Adrian growled. "And _where the fuck is Malfoy?"_

"You kicked him off," Blaise said.

"I wasn't expecting him to _not come back,"_ Pucey snapped. He finished changing and picked up his broom and gear, storming out of the changing room into the rain outside.

It was a surprising match. For a moment there, Blaise thought they had a chance, but just like nearly every other Merlin-forsaken quidditch game they play, someone else gets the glory. That doesn't mean Slytherin loses all the time, no. But Pucey always ends up lecturing them about _something_ they did wrong and how they were never going to win the house cup at this rate.

Blaise, much like Diggory, did not like McLaggen. McLaggen's face was a permanent smirk and everything he said set Blaise off. He was like an annoying tick that just wouldn't go away. Him winning the game with Weaslette would only add on to that annoying ego of his, and he'd get cockier than usual, and Blaise would have to put up with it during class.

Great.

He walked back to the castle with Daphne and Cassius, ditching dinner in place of beelining for the dorms. It was an exhausting game, to say the least. During the walk, he realized something.

He'd have to hear about how bloody _awful_ McLaggen was from Diggory, too, and knowing the Hufflepuff, it'd be sooner rather than later.

 _Sodding great._

Blaise had agreed to help Diggory. He knew that, he knew what he signed up for, none of this was a surprise. But that didn't stop him from wanting to complain about it.

They strolled into the common room and were met with somber silence. Slytherins always got a little bummed when they lost to Gryffindor, but it wasn't like they were going to openly show it or anything. It was essentially against Slytherin code.

Instead of entertaining the masses with talk of the game and its twists and turns, Blaise went straight to his dorm room. Luckily, Crabbe and Goyle were out, but the dynamic duo were in.

"Blaise," Draco greeted. "How was the game?"

They didn't go.

"Shite," Blaise replied, setting down his broom and kicking it under his bed. "How's… this?"

Draco glanced down at the bulky, ancient necklace in his hands. Silver, with an emerald pendant. How fitting. "Not so great."

Blaise hummed and set about changing for bed. He ignored his grumbling stomach.

"Hogwarts has a lot of wards up," Theo explained. "It's hard to curse much of anything here."

"Why don't you curse it, oh, somewhere else? Like, say, Hogsmeade?" Blaise suggested, only a tad sarcastic. Apart from (most) classes, the two were never around, always off in the Room of Hidden Things and scheming on how to complete Draco's task.

Draco blinked, bags dark and eyes hazy. "Yeah, maybe."

"We can't go today, it's too late," Theo responded.

Blaise gave the two of them a look. Was this _all_ they had been doing? He asked them as such.

"No," Draco said, right as Theo replied, "Yes." Draco didn't even fight him on it.

"Have either of you taken a break yet?" Blaise asked.

The two responded "No" in unison.

"Alright. We gotta fix this." Draco wasn't even Draco anymore, just a shell. Nowadays, when Pansy tried to provoke him, he simply walked past without sparing the girl a second glance. At first, it was nice, but now it's just _weird._ "Tomorrow is a Sunday. Take a bloody spa day or something, I don't care. But Draco," Blaise drawled, and the blond looked up at him, "You're a sodding _mess_."

Instead of snapping back a retort, Draco just stared at him and whined like some sort of animal.

Blaise blanched. "Oh my fucking- no, yeah, neither of you are allowed in the Room of Requirement tomorrow. Better yet, this entire sodding week. I've only seen you two _twice_ at breakfast in the past four days and sometimes you don't even make it to class."

"Blaise-"

"Yes, it's important, but so are _you._ And coming from one vain person to another, I'm telling you," Blaise gave Draco a onceover; Theo wasn't as bad. " _Sleep. Bathe._ Get your act together."

Theo just stared at him. It was unnerving.

"I'm going to bed," Blaise announced.

"You haven't eaten dinner," Theo said.

Blaise tensed.

"Listen to your own advice, Blaise." Theo took the two steps over to his own bed.

A beat.

"Fine." Blaise stood back up and marched across the dorm to the door. " _Fine."_ The door swung heavy behind him, slamming shut. Since when did he get such a short fuse?

 _Calm down,_ the inner voice urged.

It was hard. He'd been on edge all year, and it was getting _real_ irritating. It seemed like he couldn't go from one place to the next without someone ticking him off. And he always hated to yell at Theo, but-

"Calm and collected," he recited to himself. "Calm and collected."

Thank Merlin no one was in the corridor.

* * *

He made it to the kitchens in record speed and only ate a few pieces of toast, but it was better than nothing. On his way out, he bumped into an anxious Diggory.

"Zabini!" Diggory shouted, right in his ear. "I've been looking for you."

"Fuck, why?" Blaise asked. He _literally_ bumped into Diggory, and now his head hurt, having clashed with the Hufflepuff's forehead.

Diggory grabbed his shoulders. "Your plan was shite. She's ignoring me."

"Perfect, have you moved on yet?"

"Fuck you, Zabini," Diggory cursed, exasperated.

"This is a process, Diggory. You can't just expect a bunch of glitter and bam! Everything's been solved." Blaise shook his head. "Patience is a virtue. You should know that."

Diggory huffed and ran a hand through his chestnut hair.

"We're in the middle of a corridor. If you want to _talk,_ we should move," Blaise suggested.

Reluctantly, Diggory nodded and jerked his head towards the other end of the hallway. "Yeah, I've got a place."

"Oh?"

"Prefect's bathroom," Diggory replied. "I'm one of few who can get in. No one'll be in there."

Blaise smirked. "Dragging me off to a private lavatory, are we, Diggory? What's your _real_ intention here?"

"Oh, shove it." Diggory cast him a weak glare over his shoulder.

Snickering, Blaise followed Diggory down the hall and around a few corners. Diggory walked up to a metal door and uttered the password quietly so Blaise couldn't hear. _Rude._ The door swung open and Diggory strolled in, glancing back at Blaise as he did so.

As soon as Blaise pulled the door shut behind him, someone screamed.

Diggory lifted his hands to his eyes. "Shite! I'm so sorry! I didn't realize there was someone in here, shite, Zabini-"

Blaise couldn't see much as Diggory was, again, standing _far too_ close in front of him, but he could make out a mop of black hair and a tuft of curly brown. "Oooh, interrupted, did we?"

"Get out! What the bloody hell are you still doing standing there like-like sukebe hentai men!" Akane's voice echoed to Diggory's surprise.

"Free porn!" Blaise cheered, sarcastically. _New Girl?_ Why was she in here?

"Akane?" Diggory asked, whipping around and nearly whacking into Blaise, hands still over his eyes. "I'm not looking!"

"Get the hell out! Especially you temae _Bosu_!" she screamed once more trying to find her wand on the side of the tub, perhaps to hex the both of them into the veil.

"Tema what?" Diggory muttered, but Blaise grabbed his arm and yanked him out of the bathroom and back out into the hall. He shut the door- _firmly-_ behind them and gave Diggory a stern look.

Blaise sighed. "Did you know she'd be in there?"

"Wha- No!" Diggory exclaimed. "Absolutely not!"

Shaking his head, Blaise started walking down the hall, and Diggory took a few good steps trying to catch up. "You don't get to pick our meeting places anymore."

"I didn't know she'd be in there-"

"Doesn't matter. I don't want to stumble into anything like that anymore," Blaise said. "Admittedly, Akane is nice to look at, but McLaggen? Fuck no-"

"Cormac McLaggen?" Diggory blurted. Blaise turned to find the Hufflepuff looking not very Hufflepuff-y anymore. "He was in there?"

"Yeah, didn't you see?"

Diggory growled. " _No,_ I was trying to respect- oh, fuck it." He stormed back towards the lavatory and Blaise followed, grinning slightly. Blaise was always ready for drama- when it didn't involved Pansy. This situation had developed into something rather intriguing, and Blaise was curious to see where it'd end up.

Granted, none of this was any of his business, but it wasn't like that mattered.

"Mermaid!" Diggory shouted, revealing the password to the entire corridor. Blaise took a mental note of the word for later. The door unlocked and Diggory swung it open, charging into the room. Blaise slipped in before the door could shut.

The cozy couple startled upon their arrival. Akane immediately wrapped her arms around her chest and Cormac waded in front of her.

" _You!"_ Diggory sneered- very Slytherin, Blaise approved- and jabbed a finger in McLaggen's direction. "Get _away_ from her!"

Before Akane could even say something, Cormac beat her to it. "What the bloody hell Diggory! Do you have some privacy issue or something?"

"Privacy issue?" Blaise scoffed. "What are you, five?"

"I do _not!_ But I do have an issue with _you,_ McLaggen!" Diggory shouted.

"What are you saying Zabini? If you were in my position it's not like you wouldn't be acting the same." Cormac narrowed his eyes even more. "Besides what is your problem Diggory? It's not like you haven't dated anyone before. Stop getting all prefectish."

Blaise deadpanned. "Actually, McLaggen, I would _politely_ ask the newcomers if they wished to join-"

"My _problem_ is you! Just you! You don't deserve her!" Diggory snapped.

"Diggory, you teme!" It was Akane's turn. "You don't get to choose who I date and who I don't. As far as you should be concerned, we aren't anything so you shouldn't be acting like-like a baka."

Scowling, Diggory's hands curled into fists. "Don't you get it, Akane? I still have feelings for you! You just walked away from me, not even giving me a chance to fix things with Cho!"

 _Is this a foreign drama?_ Blaise's inner voice wondered.

McLaggen looked at Akane to see what her next move would be, hoping that she didn't reciprocate. She sighed in a defeated sense, "Cedric. I'm with Cormac, I'm not going to just leave him because I like him a lot." She then found her towel and wrapped it around herself.

" _Cormac,"_ Diggory mocked under his breath. Blaise whacked him upside the head.

On some level, Blaise felt bad for the girl. Not only was she dating a heathen, she also had a full-blown dog waiting on her every word.

Swiftly, Akane gathered her things and darted out of the bathroom, leaving the three males. Blaise glanced between the two. McLaggen was glaring at Diggory and Diggory was glaring right back. Slyly, Blaise inched towards the door and slipped outside, leaving the two "enemies" to battle it out.

He took a step and bumped into someone. Glancing down, he found Akane, rooted to the spot. She was still wrapped in the towel and was clutching it tightly in one hand.

Blaise didn't want to open this jar of serpent seaweed, but, well…

Here goes nothing.

"Akane," he started, cautious. "Are you okay?"


	32. Chapter 32: An Olive Branch

Why did she always find herself in some sort of situation? One day everything was almost perfect then the next she's in some sort of shite she didn't expect to see. Now the most bizarre thing was happening. Blaise Zabini was extending an olive branch.

For the first time in weeks he wasn't playing the role of the prat. And it was almost as unsettling as the rumors of McGonagall dating Snape.

"No, but why would you care?" She looked at the Italian.

He shrugged. "I don't, but I figured I'd ask."

"Well, thanks for asking." She muttered.

"But really," Zabini repeated himself. "Are you okay?"

"Even if I said yes, you'd know I'm lying." She didn't even bother trying to cover herself up even more knowing it'd be too dark.

Zabini gave her a onceover. "You can get dressed, you know."

"I suppose," she shrugged, drained. Too many emotions in such a short period of time.

"So. Tell me about your problems," he said.

"Blaise, no offence but this is the first time we spoke remotely friendly. Shouldn't you be in there trying to prevent Cedric from doing something baka-like?"

He shrugged. "Don't care enough. Stop trying to change the subject."

"Look, I appreciate it that you're trying to help. Really. But there's too many confusing things happening right now, this conversation is one of them," she held her head.

He muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, " _Tell me about it,"_ but his voice was quiet and hard to hear.

"Hm," she cracked a broken smile. "This is strange. Not in a bad way."

"You think?" Zabini asked, skeptical.

"I do, but I'm almost afraid to hear what you think about it."

Zabini stared at her for a moment. "Honestly, I don't know what I think."

"You and I both." She started to feel the chill, "Can you turn so I can get dressed?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." He turned around and faced the opposite wall.

"Thank you," Akane began to dress herself and the feeling of clothing on semi-wet skin wasn't something she preferred. But maybe it was something she deserved. _Like dealing with clothing that sticks to your skin is a punishment_. She mentally scoffed and held her customized sweater unsure if she wanted to wear it. Yes, it may have been the only thing other than her camisole that protected her from the chills, but still.

"Are you done?" Zabini asked, still facing the other way.

"Almost," she kept the chatter out of her teeth. "Should we… Check up on them? I-I mean I don't know about Cedric, but Cormac isn't afraid of a fist fight-" Akane rambled.

"Don't worry about them," he cut in. "They need to do this. _Diggory_ needs to do this." A pause. "He isn't ready to give you up, you know."

Frustration was evident on the girl's face, "Why does he have to be this persistent? Teme Hufflepuffs!"

"One of the _many_ reasons I hate Hufflepuffs," Zabini drawled, rolling his eyes. "Hard work my arse. They just won't give up, it's annoying."

"You speak as if you had a bad experience with them?" Akane tried to lighten the mood into something more of a friendship vibe.

"I haven't, not really," Zabini sighed. "You've probably figured it out by now, the house rivalries. Slytherins aren't typically liked around here. Fine by me. It's not like I enjoy the lot of them, either."

"They're not all bad, Hannah Abbott's pretty nice. Ginny is also a good friend, Neville is adorably Neville but he's a lot like an old friend I used to have." Akane defended her friends in a light manner. "Maybe we'd all get along someday. I'd like for you to get to know them how I know them."

Zabini laughed, a rare sight. "Don't worry about Weaslette, I know her pretty well. The rest of them, though… we're _very_ different people."

"But aren't we very different?" she gestured to the both of them. "But we seem to be fine now."

"Now. We weren't an hour ago." Zabini shrugged. "The difference, Mikoshiba, is that even though we don't get along, we're still wearing the same tie."

She smiled a small smile, "That's the first time you actually said my name in a nice way."

"Shite, did I?"

"You did," she shook her head in amusement. "What a way to spend a Saturday night."

"Believe me, it could be worse," he agreed.

"I would ask what could be worse, but I don't think I'd be able to keep up with what you might tell me." Akane replied softly.

His next words were harsh, but he wore a smirk. "What does that mean? That I've got a lot of issues?"

"No," she didn't take the bait. "What I meant was that. I'm too emotionally drained right now to give you the proper attention you deserve… I hope that makes sense."

"It does." Zabini hummed, observing her for a moment. "C'mon. Let's go back to the common room. Don't think those two will be done for a while."

"What if Cormac or Cedric kill each other? They looked like they'd do it." She worried.

"Then the world might become a marginally better place," Zabini replied, but at the look on her face, asked: "What? Do you _want_ to go in there?"

"No, but," she let out a groan of frustration. "That's my boyfriend in there and my quidditch captain!"

Zabini huffed. "So, what? You plan to defend both of them?"

"Those temes will take it the wrong way if I even try." She stood up ready to follow him.

"Exactly," he nodded, walking down the corridor. "Don't worry about them."

"Right," She collected her things. "Alright."

She followed Zabini's steps to the dungeon, dread filling her stomach. Although she and the Italian are on better terms than before, she wouldn't go as far as saying that they'd be the best of friends but it was a start of something better.

* * *

She was glad it was Sunday. She didn't have any obligations to fulfill after she owled Eric that she'd been feeling ill. Akane didn't know what she did in order to keep Cedric's loyalty, so much that he was clearly not giving up soon. It was like the stories of James Potter and Lily Evans, except Lily wasn't dating someone else.

Then there was Cormac. She knew it's her duty as a good girlfriend to check on him, after all she had heard whispers that the two had been caught by Borkan after someone slipped a hint to the teacher. _Most likely Zabini._

She just didn't know what to do. How could she resolve any of this without hurting either of them? Akane didn't want to leave Cormac, after all she'd shared so many unforgettable firsts with him. Cormac was brave and not afraid at all to tell you what he wants. He was brash, reckless, but that was what she admired about him. The way he just does something without much of a second thought. They've shared so much together, so much that she doesn't want to let him go.

But then there's Cedric. The boy who was there no matter what. His loyalty is something Helga Hufflepuff would be proud of. But he was right. She didn't give him a chance to talk to her, Akane thought back on it and realized that it was partially her fault. She never let him tell her what was happening, only that she ran.

Her stomach was giving out mating calls so she dressed herself simply. She had intentions of only going to the kitchens and staying there until the elves made her leave. She just didn't want to see a single person today. As she thought that she was sneaky, the person by the Slytherin entrance proved her wrong. Akane didn't look at the person, she didn't have to. It was Cormac.

Ready to run back inside he was simply quicker. Holding her wrist light enough where she could yank it away if she wanted to, but Akane didn't. Yet she hadn't looked at him.

"Akane," his gruff voice called out to her. Telling her how long he must've been outside this door. Waiting. "We need to talk."

Prickles of fear spiked into her body. She knew he was right, they did. But knowing how bad this school was with gossiping, she asked for him to stand up. He wobbled side to side and she removed parts of his cloak to reveal nasty bruises that ran down his torso. Some even were on his cheeks while others were probably on his arms. He didn't bother with a shirt and his hair was unkempt, meaning he'd been here since last night.

As they made it to the kitchens with stealth she didn't use quite as often as one would think. She removed his whole cloak to confirm everything else. Pursing her lips, he knew that she wasn't happy. Catching the attention of the elves, she requested two meals. For herself and for her distraught boyfriend.

"Why didn't you go to Pomfrey," Akane said more as a statement than a question.

"Borkan said that he'd let us off if we let it heal the muggle way." Cormac watched as her eyes traced the bruises.

"He really did this much?" Akane couldn't believe that Cedric was capable of something this violent.

"Yeah, but it was reciprocated." Cormac winced slightly as she conjured up some salve.

"Did you really have to fight?" Akane whispered as she applied the salve.

"Akane," he tightened his fist. Which she noticed but she didn't look up or say a word. "You don't see the way he looks at you. Its like he's a pet and you're his owner, and he's waiting for you to shower him with attention."

She didn't say a word as he continued to vent his frustrations about Cedric, but once he asked her. "What does he mean to you?"

"He's my first crush at this school that ended up in a disaster." She answered truthfully as she had no right to lie. "But I don't want him. I want you."

"But how do I know that? I'm only a man Akane, I don't want to keep you if you don't want to stay but I don't want to let you go either." Cormac was shaking in doubt. "I could only hear so much Akane. I thought that what your thing with Diggory was a passing phase, but he's not over it. Are you?"

Before she could reply, the man in question entered the kitchens sporting the same injuries as her boyfriend.

"All the bloody time," Cormac growled.


	33. Chapter 33: Malfoy and Marks

Rumors spread about the epic Cedric vs. Cormac battle in the lavatory like wildfire, and Akane was at the core. Pansy's betting pools were increasing in number and those who bet on Borkan were frantically attempting to shift their galleons into another pool.

That had been a little over a week ago.

Honestly, Blaise was a little surprised that his subtle presence in the fight wasn't mentioned at all. Not like he was complaining. All he did was throw in a few lines and get Akane out of the way. No big deal, but McLaggen was glaring at him more often than before like he had performed some criminal act, and Diggory had developed a habit of going MIA whenever their odd meetings swung around.

He did start attending Ghoul Studies, though, and would sit directly behind Blaise during lecture. After club, the two would share a few heavily coded words before parting ways. They may be in a rut, but putting a hold on Operation Borkan was out of the question.

Diggory wasn't mad at Blaise like McLaggen was. The Hufflepuff was too easy to read. Diggory was just bitter about the fight and the fact that Blaise didn't _do_ anything about it, and "ran off with Akane" instead.

"You didn't do _anything."_ Diggory tossed the blame on him like flamer fuel to a fire pit.

Blaise simply raised a brow. "Did you _want_ me to?"

Thus, the end of the conversation. For a Hufflepuff, Diggory sure had taken a large stab to his pride, and was taking a sodding long time to get over it.

However, Diggory had agreed with Blaise that Professor Marks was a perfect fit for Borkan. The Hufflepuff said to "leave it to him" and check back next club meeting. What Diggory was planning to do, Blaise didn't care, as long as it got them closer to Marks.

Approaching Borkan, on the other hand, would be a task- one that neither male was willing to pick up.

So Blaise focused on a different issue.

"I think I've figured it out," Draco declared one day. It was nearing the end of the month, and the grand Halloween celebration was approaching. The relief was evident in the blond's grey eyes; the bags had lessened, his hair seemed more vibrant, his skin less pale than before. Either Draco was _actually_ calming down, or he just remember to cast a Glamour charm that morning. "I've- _we've-_ formed an elaborate plan."

The three of them- Blaise, Draco, and Theo- were sitting in the dorm room after classes, each on their respective beds. Theo had been reading, but he put his book down once Draco started talking. Blaise, on the other hand, had been thinking.

"The necklace," Draco held up the black box in his hands. "I'm going to curse it, and-and send it through some people, who will deliver it to Dumbledore."

The box looked innocent enough on the outside. "Will it work?" Blaise asked.

"I mean, I _hope,"_ Draco blanched.

"Who are you giving it to?"

"Madam Rosmerta," Theo answered for him. Blaise had decided long ago that questioning these two would be pointless, and despite the fact that Draco was the Death Eater, Theo was ready and more than willing to take on the responsibilities.

But for the Dark Lord, or for Draco? Blaise didn't want to ask.

(It was probably the latter.)

"Shite, is she even going to take it?" Blaise wondered. After the Death Eater raid, she had become a tad bit jumpy and paranoid in regards to sketchy figures. For once in his life, Draco would qualify.

"She _should,_ seeing as I'm going to Imperius her."

Blaise jerked. "You're going to do _what?"_

"Imperius, Blaise. How else am I going to get this done?"

"By doing _literally_ anything else, that's how," Blaise snapped back. "Merlin, Draco, you're going to get yourself arrested."

"We've got a backup plan," Theo supplied.

Blaise waited. Theo didn't say anything else. "Which is?"

"Montague," Theo said.

Unhelpful. Blaise turned to Draco, who explained. "Those blasted Weasley twins shoved him into the Vanishing Cabinet, right? Well, I went to Borgin and Burke's this summer, and I believe they've got the matching one. Only problem is that the one here is broken."

"We're going to fix it," Theo said, like that wasn't implied.

"Yes, alright, but then what? Is that your escape route?" Blaise asked. He was glad he wasn't directly a part of this. Honestly, more than anything, he was terrified for his friends.

It was startling to see the look of consideration on both of their faces. Neither of them had even thought of that.

"No," Draco shook his head. "We're going to bring the Death Eaters here."

"Through the Cabinet?"

Draco nodded. "Through the Cabinet."

"Shite," Blaise exhaled, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable around the two people he would trust with his life. "And you're serious about this?"

"I don't want to die, Blaise," Draco sighed.

The blond had said that far too many times in the past few weeks for it to be okay. Shaking his head, Blaise switched gears. "Have you two taken that spa day yet?"

"No, we've been busy." Draco shook the box with the necklace. "And where the fuck do you expect us to find a bloody spa?"

That hint of the old Draco brought a flicker of hope.

Scoffing, Blaise said, "Maybe, you know, try that room you've been frequenting so often. Wish for a spa instead of a garbage dump. Or, like, a prefect's bathroom. I heard the one on first floor's password is mermaid."

"Irresponsible," Draco huffed. He dropped the box back on his bed. "That was the password last year. How are they supposed to keep anyone out if they don't _change the password?"_

"They assume word of honor," Theo claimed with a snort. He picked up his book again and rolled onto his stomach.

"Rubbish, who follows that? Speaking of," Draco paused and shot a glance at Blaise. "Isn't that the bathroom where that fight went down? The one Pansy hasn't shut up about."

Blaise smirked. "The one and the same."

"Was it really a _fight_ , though? For Merlin's sake, Adrian was convinced Theo and I were playing quidditch together for a solid month-"

"Pretty sure it was a fight," Blaise interrupted. "I was there, you know."

"Yeah, for the first five minutes," Theo drawled, sarcastically.

They may be on the verge of a mental- and emotional- breakdown, but these two idiots were still his best friends, and some things about them would never change. Blaise grinned at the two, watching as Theo flicked through his book and Draco twirled his wand.

Draco was the first to notice and scowled at him. "What's that look on your face? Did you trip Pansy in the hall again?"

"No, but now I wish I did," Blaise shot back, in good humour. Theo let out a huff of laughter.

Draco smirked. "Bloody bint."

Blaise and the female population seemed to be getting along better, too.

He did manage to hunt down Weaslette after dinner one evening, and the two had a sloppy- but still impressively decent- shag in the ex-Ancient Runes classroom. Quick, clean, and simple. Weaslette had enough fire in her soul to keep the tension thick. It was nice, and much like the first time, Weaslette told him she'd be down to do it again.

He's also been talking to Padma more, but he's finding that he enjoys her presence as a friend. They actually got along, which was rare for Blaise nowadays, and would meet up once a week to go over lessons from Ghoul Studies and talk about life and its tribulations.

Blaise was also on decent terms with Akane, which was weird.

She started waving at him in passing and most of the time he couldn't wave back without Pansy giving him a stern glare or Diggory's puppy eyes watching him from down the corridor. He'd offer her a stiff smile though, and hoped she understood.

Why did it even matter though?

They had one, maybe two civil conversations after the "Lavatory Showdown," as people had started calling it. Usually it just consisted of Akane venting and him offering the best advice he could without sounding like a total arse. Sometimes she'd ask about him, but he always shut her out, claiming she "didn't want to deal with that" or "it's too boring." It wasn't.

Blaise didn't really have anyone to talk to about anything. Usually it would be Draco or Theo, but the two had formed this impenetrable bond and were so focused on the dangerous task at hand that they had accidentally shut Blaise out. Not totally, but… their dynamic just wasn't the same. And he was sure there were things they weren't telling him either, if their secretive behavior from earlier on in the year had anything to say.

Padma was a good listener, but she had a pure heart and would probably pull out that "reserved judgment" she claimed to have. She was open-minded, sure, but would she have the capacity to listen to all of his problems? Not even including his list of growing insecurities.

Merlin, he hated the way that sounded.

When they were younger, he would rant to Daphne. She had changed too. Not in a bad way, no, but Blaise wasn't interested in a therapist. He wanted a _friend._ And those seemed hard to come by recently.

He considered talking to Akane. She had all those friends, and the people who weren't jealous of her seemed to like her, so she must be _okay_. But right when Blaise started to feel the urge to just go up to her and _vent,_ he remembered all those friends, and all those people she hung around, and wow, are his secrets even safe?

Trust was an issue for Blaise. He trusted his mum, Draco, and Theo. That was it. Sometimes, he didn't even trust _them._

These thoughts would then circle back around to why he felt like such an outcast and why he's got such a vanity problem and why he is who he is, and by the end of the train of thought, Blaise would feel very drained and very reluctant to socialize with anyone.

So maybe things weren't quite perfect yet.

 _Patience is a virtue._

* * *

He ended up confiding in an unlikely source and immediately regretted it.

Professor Marks _was_ a good listener, as was made obvious one evening after dinner. It wasn't even a club day. Blaise just found himself wandering to her classroom and she was there, waiting, almost like she had been expecting him.

"Hey, Blaise," she greeted him, being one of the few teachers to call him by his first name. "Come and sit."

Blaise walked over to where she stood at the front of the room, the club room almost completely dark, illuminated by those odd black flames much like on the first day. He sat down on the surface of one of the front row desks and she sat down beside him.

"What's on your mind?" Marks asked.

"A lot of things," he replied, and ended up rambling- very uncool, not collected at all- about his mum and her dating habits and the fact he didn't know who his father was. He rambled about his obsession with his appearance and physical perfection and why he had developed an eating disorder. He talked about his friends, and the shite he had gotten roped into, and, well, Akane.

(He didn't mention the Death Eater part, just that those two had moved on without him.)

"It's amazing how you get anything done," Marks hummed. She hadn't interrupted him, or made any judgmental remarks, or raised a brow. She simply watched him, nodding along. Listening.

Blaise shrugged.

"Well, I'm not sure how to… ah, respond to some of it, but, I appreciate that you came to me," Marks said, softly. She offered him a kind- slightly hypnotizing- smile. "You're under a lot of stress. I get that. Sixth year is often one of the hardest years for kids. I'd say you're doing great."

Blaise didn't respond, too thunderstruck from the fact he had just revealed a big chunk of his character to this mysterious woman.

"And this Akane girl," Marks continued. "She seems nice."

"Too nice," he corrected.

Marks hummed for a moment. "Maybe. But you might be able to find a friend in her. Don't get me wrong, I'll always listen, Blaise. However… it's good to have those people around you who are going through similar things."

Marks was right. Of course she was.

"Tell me about you."

"Me?" She seemed alarmed at his request, but she quickly settled. "I lived in the States when I was a kid. I went to Ilverymorny- that's the American wizarding school- was sorted into Thunderbird, and graduated when I was eighteen. Moved into an old plantation house with a few of my friends at the time and had my first ghostly encounter- outside of school, that is. I'm a half-blood. My father was a wizard, but my mom wasn't. I was only partially familiar with magic when I was fully introduced to the world."

Marks paused, a nostalgic look in her eye. "Then I moved here several years ago and have been teaching ever since."

It was an incredibly vague retelling, but it was more than nothing. Blaise got the feeling that there was obviously something she wasn't saying, but he decided not to comment on it, exhausted from the conversation.

His lethargy wasn't stopping him from being gutsy, though.

Abruptly, Blaise asked, "Have you met Professor Borkan?"

Professor Marks pursed her lips and shook her head. _Perfect._

Perhaps this meeting wasn't a waste after all.


	34. Chapter 34: Akane's Angst (vol 1)

Things went well. Well, well as they could have been. Akane and Cormac's relationship was more or less stable, because she never knew how deep his insecurities ran until that night. He even showed her a new side of him something that she'd never thought to see in a young man named Cormac McLaggen. The man who could be described to the 'T' if you even began to describe what a Gryffindor should be. But she was wrong.

They sat in the room of requirement after their talk in the kitchen was left unfinished, and he cried. Not much but still, he showed her how vulnerable he really was. And it scared her more than ever. For someone to rely on her so much and for her to do the same, it was something that led her to her downfall in Mahokoutoro. But she couldn't deny that Cormac and herself couldn't just go back to what they had. It was impossible.

Neither of them wanted to give up what they had, but they also didn't know how to progress things. Their relationship went stale, and it was rough for the both of them. Akane tried to change things as well as he had, but for some reason known to Kami. Things just didn't work out, even their quick kisses were reduced. Akane wasn't even sure after the few days of this _relationship_ , if it would work out at all.

She didn't have the heart to speak with Cedric with the bare minimum of civility because he couldn't think of her own happiness. Of her own content. If he couldn't think of her's, then how does he think that she'll consider his?

Blaise was another thing. She would probably say that they were friends or starting to be friends, perhaps he didn't share that sentiment but she did. After all she confided in him about things she didn't necessarily tell Ginny or Daphne, especially considering that she didn't want to hold either of their lives up with all of her problems. (Which she seemed to be having a plentiful of). She spoke to him about Cormac and then about Cedric. She even divulged him information on how Borkan was acting strange.

Professor Borkan was a man of many talents, undoubtedly. But as she continued to teach him hulusi lessons and he pressed on about how the girls in the school are more annoying with each passing day except her. Akane had a bad feeling. Or it was more of a suspicion, that he may like her in a way that isn't appropriate for a teacher to like a student. But unlike some of her peers, she was smart enough to not say a word to anyone. His career would be at stake and she didn't like him like that.

A fact that would probably shake Pansy's betting pools.

As she wrote her charms essay, she eventually got bored with it and decided to message her mystery friend.

'Are you there?' She wrote in a neat way, knowing that someone would need to be able to read it.

'Of course,' cursive popped up on her paper that she had written on.

'What are you doing?'

'Work, it's not really fun.'

'I'll trade you,' Akane then had to add more ink into the quill's well. 'I have an essay… Not even halfway done with it.'

'Haha. Work doesn't sound that bad anymore.'

'Not much of an essay person?'

'No I'm more artistic.'

'You never told me what kind of art you do.'

'It's something that can't be touched,' mystery friend wrote back.

'Why are your replied always in riddles?'

'It keeps you guessing.'

'How do you know that I won't get fed up with such vague answers?'

'You're still writing.'

"Touche," Akane spoke out loud. It was nice to speak to this stranger. They couldn't judge her because she hadn't given up her identity and she wouldn't until they gave their's first. In a sense it was a break for her, away from all of the gossip, from all the stares, and from all the slander she'd receive on a daily basis.

She had to thank her friends, really. If anything they were more like a security team, preventing uncalled for howlers that spat nasty words, physical threats by carving things into her broom, or making sure that she checks whatever she ate. After all, there had apparently been a small love potion in one of the creme brules. The only reason they found out was because Ron ate her dessert by accident and he went gaga for some Ravenclaw.

* * *

Another week had passed and Akane was tired of Cormac's lack of willingness to speak to her. Probably for good reason, because if she knew him well enough, he'd be scared that she might end it.

After hunting him down she pulled him to the side to finally speak to her boyfriend.

"Cormac please," Akane had to beg her boyfriend.

"Akane. I just don't think now's a good time, I got a lot of homework to do and-"

"Cormac please."

"Still it's a lot of writing-"

"Cormac," Akane was done playing nice and she spoke the words that scared him the most. "We need to talk."

"Do we have to?"

"Cormac Mclaggen, I'm done tip-toeing around our relationship." She shook her head knowing that this part of the hall wouldn't be occupied until later. "What-What are we?"

"We're dating…"

"Is this even considered dating?" She didn't have to explain because he knew what she meant.

"Then what do you want to do?" Cormac seemed equally frustrated with how things were going. "Do you want us to break up?"

"Would it be-be better that way?" She looked at him bleary eyed. "I don't want to stop talking to you altogether, but I don't think that it's good for us to stay in this kind of relationship."

His silence scared her and her tears were dripping out of her eyes too fast to see his expression clearly. Akane was terrified, until she felt his hands gently try to wipe away the falling drops although he was tearing up as well.

"I don't want to let you go," he held her probably for the last time in an amorous fashion. "But I don't want to keep you here if you don't want to."

She held onto him as tightly as he held her. Both coming to terms in eachother's arms that this would most likely never happen again, not as lovers but perhaps in the future as friends. Still it was hard.

"You were my first in almost everything," she mumbled into his broad shoulder. "Never forget that." Akane knew that he understood the implications of those words.

"How could I?" He laughed because he didn't know how else to react. "How could I ever?"

The moments passed and they hadn't let each other go but they knew that this moment wouldn't last forever. They still had to go to their next class, and even if they didn't. Other students would be bustling through this hall soon enough.

Before they parted permanently he asked her, "Is it okay if I kiss you?"

"Yes." She replied but she didn't feel his butterscotch flavored lips on her own. Instead it was on her forehead; then her tearstained cheeks and then on her lips. Both savoring the moment as it would most likely be their last kiss as well.

Cormac, being Cormac. He left first, gallantly as he always is. One wave and a broken smile later she found herself in the hallway, alone. Did she feel more free? Akane was unsure, but what she did feel was like a weight that truly did lift off of her chest. Like she could breathe slightly easier than she had the past couple of weeks.

Cleaning herself up in the bathroom, once she decided that she was presentable enough. Akane left for her class which was dull with the exception of her mysterious messenger and small greetings to Daphne and Blaise.

Lunch was an event to say the least. She had heard about their infamous or famous pranks from almost everyone she spoke to. But what she hadn't known was that they still pulled a few stunts every now and then, either by them personally or their loyal followers. That was why she was surprised to see that a singular owl had dropped a package in front of Ron, and as he opened it. The package had started exploding into fireworks much to the surprise of everyone in the great hall.

The fireworks didn't allow anything to catch on fire, but they did give off a loud vibrating boom. One almost hit Ginny if it hadn't been for Harry pulling her to the side in the nick of time, but one _did_ hit Lavender Brown. Which was hilarious but she still felt bad for her, only a little. As they thought that the box was done showing off it's surprises, Akane could only watch in horror as an Parvati look alive was about to be hit by the firework, and the worst part was that she didn't even see it coming as she just entered the hall.

"Move it!" She shoved the look alike into the wall, unprepared to face the impact. _Should've casted a spell first or some sort of shield. You genius,_ she scoffed at herself just as she was hit. The impact wasn't as bad as she thought, but it was the aftershock that literally threw her to the wall.

The effects weren't immediate, but she wasn't super-human, eventually she had to let the darkness seep through her vision. And all she could think about was how bad her luck was, always.


	35. Chapter 35: Costume Assignments

Padma spun around just in time to see Akane hit the floor with a thud, out cold.

"Dammit, Ron!" Weaslette cursed, shoving her brother in the shoulder. "Look at what you did!" She stood up and rushed over to the fallen girl, Potter and Granger only a step behind. Once by her side, Potter and Weaslette hoisted Akane up Muggle style and booked it for the Hospital Wing. Granger darted back to the table to grab their things, and with help from Weasley, they too made way for the Hospital Wing.

Glancing around nervously, Padma ran out of the doors too, worried for the girl she had never met.

"Well, well, well," Pansy drawled, leaning forward in her seat. "What a turn of events! Word from the grapevine says that Akane and Cormac are done for, so who will rush to her side now?"

"You make it sound like she's a damsel in distress," Pucey said.

Pansy scoffed. "Is she not?"

"Eh, well," Pucey sighed, shrugging. "Not my business. My only business is quidditch, and we've got a game coming up. Halloween day, in fact. You lot better be ready to annihilate Hufflepuff."

"Quidditch, smidditch," Pansy said, waving a dismissive hand. Extremely offended, Pucey shot her a wide eyed glare. "What we _need_ to be ready for is the evening Halloween celebration."

"I've heard the theme is masks this year," Millicent added.

Draco frowned. "Masks? Really?"

Daphne, too, was troubled by this. "Draco's right. Doesn't that seem a bit dangerous?"

Millicent shrugged. Humming out an unimpressed sigh, Pansy corrected the girl. "No, the theme _would've_ been masks, but with the whole Death Eater raid thing, Dumbledore figured it would be in bad spirits. _So,"_ she paused, hands flying out for dramatic effect. "It's changed. We're doing characters now. I've got it all planned out."

Blaise raised a brow. "Do you now?"

"Yeah, now listen." Pansy beamed, glancing up and down the table at her friends. "We're gonna do a group thing. _Minotaur: The Last Hornbreaker._ Dig it? Good, because I do too." She didn't even wait for an answer. "Now, I will of course be Pazula, because she and I are _very_ similar."

"Not really-"

"Yes really. Queen of the Fire Nymphs? Of course," Pansy laughed. "Draco, you'll be Xuko."

Draco frowned. "The emo kid? I don't-"

"It'll be perfect," Pansy reassured. "He's going through some things, you're going through some things. If you had a scar on the right side of your face, I'd think you were one and the same."

"I thought it was on the left," Draco said.

"No, it's on the right."

The blond shook his head and went about picking at his meal.

"Naturally, Theo, you'll be Met," Pansy continued.

Theo let out a single breathy laugh. "Cool."

"And Blaise, you're Hawka. Daphne will be Hatara, Millicent will be Cough, and Pucey, you're the Hornbreaker, Bang. Tracey and Astoria can be Ky Lee and Jai, respectively," Pansy finished. Her words brought about several complaints.

Pucey's was the loudest. "No, I can't be Bang! That kid can't ride a broom to save his life!" Several heads turned to stare at him, bewildered.

"Adrian, calm down. You're causing a scene," Pansy admonished.

Blaise didn't have a problem with his character. Hawka was a warrior from the Water Tyrants, a group of witches and wizards who specialized in potions and water spells. He and his sister, Hatara, were some of the first people in the series to aid the last Minotaur, Bang.

His outfit was brilliant but a tad bit complex.

Daphne seemed to be on a similar wavelength. "What about the costumes?"

"Don't worry about the costumes," Pansy said. "Just leave it to me, and I'll let you all know when they're ready." Pansy's sudden kindness caught several people off guard, and the rest of lunch was oddly quiet.

* * *

Blaise left the Great Hall with Draco and Theo, and the trio was intercepted by a waiting Diggory. The Hufflepuff had his hands stuffed in his pockets and perked up at the sight of Blaise, indicating he wanted to talk. Having some time to spare, Blaise sent the duo on ahead of him and lingered near Diggory until they were gone.

"What?" Blaise asked.

Diggory dove right in. "Marks is a toughy, but I've started talking to Borkan."

"Really?" It was no secret Diggory held contempt for the man, so it was surprising that the Hufflepuff had ditched efforts on the fascinating American woman to focus on someone he disliked so strongly.

"Yeah, it was really easy, actually," Diggory explained. "All I had to do was bring up Akane."

Blaise's brows pulled together. "That's… odd."

"It's obvious he's got a thing for her," Diggory said. "Which, like, isn't good in the slightest."

"All the more reason to set him up."

"Right." Diggory gave a quick nod. "Have you spoken to Marks?"

Cue an unnecessary flashback to that evening where Blaise spilled his entire life story to the woman. "Yeah. I've got that covered."

"Cool," Diggory replied. A beat. "That's that, then."

"Yeah," Blaise said. He could've asked Diggory about the fight, about what really transpired, but he didn't want to dig himself a hole he couldn't get out of. Once he got Diggory talking, it was unlikely Blaise would be able to get him to stop. Admittedly, Blaise was surprised that Diggory didn't rush after the girl and her ragtag group of friends, carrying her off to get medical help, but he was glad, deep down, that the guy had gotten a clue.

He was also surprised that he was _glad_ Diggory and Akane seemed about done for good, but Blaise didn't feel like thinking too far into that one.

Diggory parted ways with a wave, walking off down the opposite hallway. Blaise followed Draco and Theo's initial route, but seeing as he wasn't sure where they went, he ended up wandering off towards the Hospital Wing.

He passed the Golden Trio and Weaslette on his way there, but they didn't pay him much attention. Weaslette offered a small smile and he gave a jerky nod back. That was it.

The Hospital Wing was mostly empty except for Akane, Padma, and a third-year Ravenclaw with a broken arm. Akane was still out cold, but Padma stood by her side, watching the resting girl. She noticed Blaise and beckoned him over.

"She's that new girl, right? The one from Mahoutokoro?" Padma wondered.

Blaise nodded. "Yeah."

Padma smiled. "I've never even met her before, but she risked her safety for mine. Rather Gryffindor-like, wouldn't you say?"

"She does hang around the Lions."

"She seems nice," Padma continued, arms crossing as though she was cold.

Blaise hummed.

"Do you know her?"

"Not very well," he replied.

"You came here," Padma noted.

That fact didn't go unnoticed by Blaise, either. "Dunno why."

"Sure you do." Padma smiled at him. "Are you two friends?"

"Something like that."

Akane shifted, and Madam Pomfrey came rushing over, bottles of potions in hand and wand at the ready.

"Welcome back, Mr. Zabini," Pomfrey greeted him dryly. "Are we expecting another argument?"

For a moment there, Blaise forgot what she was talking about, but he was struck with the sudden memory him and Akane shouting at each other over Diggory's bed. "No, ma'am," he replied.

She harrumphed and went about checking Akane's vials. The two students watched the nurse go about her business. After she was done, Madam Pomfrey said, "She'll be up in just a bit, if you'd like to wait."

"No, I'm good," Blaise blurted, taking a step back. Padma didn't look like she was moving anytime soon. "See you, Patil."

"Bye, Blaise."

* * *

Pansy corned him later that afternoon with a tape measure in hand. She pushed him into her dorm and made him stand in the middle of the room as she collected sizes for his costume.

"You'll make a perfect Hawka," she claimed, waving her wand and directing the tape. Beside her, a quill wrote down the measurements she listed.

"Thanks," Blaise said, blandly.

"I took a lot of time figuring this out, you know. It had to be perfect. I _refuse_ to submit the costume contest trophy to that Brown girl from Gryffindor. She's always right behind me in score, glaring at me like some wild animal," Pansy drawled. "It's not my fault she puts so many _blasted_ bows on things."

Blaise grunted. He couldn't move much, as every time he shifted Pansy would snap at him.

"Last year we came in second place," Pansy reminded him. "I thought our Lord of the Kings costumes were rather phenomenal, but _of course_ Lovegood and her team outdid us with incredibly realistic fruit costumes."

He remembered it clearly. Lovegood, a bunch of other Ravenclaws, and a few Hufflepuffs showed up to the celebration in massive fruit costumes. The sodding outfits were so inconvenient that they kept bumping into people and knocking off props and bits of other students' costumes. Both Draco and Pansy were rather furious with Belby- a walking banana- for knocking off their elf ears.

Lavender Brown and her group had put together Sailor Wolf costumes, with Brown as the main character and several gossipy females as the others. They probably would've scored higher- a whopping fifth place- if Brown hadn't "accidentally" used her staff to trip an underclassman dressed as the same character.

"This year, I'm aiming for first," Pansy declared. She always did. "These costumes are going to be the _best bloody costumes_ at the celebration and if anyone says otherwise, so help me-"

"They'll look great, Pans," Blaise appeased the girl.

She smiled, sickly-sweet. "We can only hope, Blaise." A quick note of the measurement around his chest, then: "You're being very cooperative. I appreciate this. I tried to get Pucey's out of the way, but he kept running away and trying to hit me with his broom."

Blaise scoffed. "Sounds like him."

"He's an arse," Pansy said. "I got Millicent and Davis done, and Daphne's coming in after you. Draco and Theo, on the other hand, have _disappeared."_

Sounds like them.

"It's fine," Pansy reassured herself. "We've got time." She shook her head and gave a final wave of her wand, told the quill a couple more measurements, and gave him a smile before pushing him harshly out of the room with a hasty "Thanks!"

Daphne stood up from the sofa and walked over to him.

"How is she?" she asked.

Blaise shrugged. "Bearable."

* * *

(A/N) Shout out to Avatar: The Last Airbender (a fantastic show that we also did not create!)


	36. Chapter 36: Costumes and Quidditch

With a slight headache later, she met the Parvati Patil look alike. Her sister, Padma. She was more reserved than her counterpart in Gryffindor, which was a nice change because her sister could be unbearable when she was around Lavender Brown, which was almost ninety nine percent of the time. Padma's apologizes of her lack of awareness caused Akane to feel slightly embarrassed. She had to reassure the British girl that it wasn't something someone else would've done.

Padma Patil, being Padma Patil offered her help in the one way she knew how. With schoolwork, she offered her extensive knowledge although not on a Hermione Granger or Theodore Nott level, she wasn't fourth in their year for nothing. After ensuring that her savior was safe, she left her in the capable hands of Pomfrey.

To which Akane slightly scowled.

"Akane?" Daphne's voice rang out.

"Daphne!" She looked at her friend, one who was always busy as of late. "I was wondering if anyone would visit."

The blonde approached Akane's bed. "Are you feeling alright?"

"A slight bump on the head, but other than that Pomfrey said I should be out within the next hour. She just wants to keep me here because she wants to make sure that nothing's wrong with my head," but then Akane whispered. "To be honest I think she really wants to see who's gonna visit."

Daphne laughed. "Perhaps. The woman _is_ a nosy one."

"You're telling me," it was then Akane noticed a few bunches of flowers by her side. Not wanting to ask who or where they came from, she asked instead. "What have I missed?"

"Just an incredibly boring lunch, and a hour of spare time," Daphne replied. "So, not much."

"Sounds dull. Don't we have a match this Saturday?"

Daphne nodded affirmative. "Yes, against Hufflepuff. Be prepared though, after the game is the long awaited Halloween celebration."

"Long awaited Halloween celebrations?"

"Yes. They throw the party every year. It always happens after a Quidditch game, and takes place for the rest of the evening. Dumbledore likes to host a costume contest, too," Daphne replied.

"Costumes… Will you be doing one?" Akane was wondering if was worth her time to actually try this _Halloween_ out.

Daphne sighed, slightly resigned. "Apparently. Pansy roped me into a group with a few other Slytherins. We're dressing up as the characters from _Minotaur: The Last Hornbreaker._ I'm Hatara."

"Hatara?" Akane then jokingly made a face. "She's a little more hot headed than you are though, are you sure you're a Hatara?"

"Believe me, Akane, I hardly relate to the girl," Daphne drawled. "But Pansy seems dead-set on her character assignment."

Akane scoffed slightly, "What is she then the Flame Lord?"

"Not quite," Daphne said. "She's Pazula."

"I can see that. Who won last year?"

Here, Daphne laughed. "Lovegood and a few of her friends. They all dressed up as giant fruit, and ended up bumping into other people's costume during the meal. It was quite funny, really."

"How did Pansy react? I can't imagine her taking the losses so well."

"She didn't. Belby bumped into Pansy and Draco's costumes, and he unintentionally messed them up. Honestly, though, Pansy's enemy is Brown. The two go all out for this contest."

"Brown? What'd she dress up as? I can't imagine anything… Decent."

Daphne shook her head. "Her so-called 'sexy version' of Sailor Wolf."

"I bet she flashed the judges or something. Nothing about that girl would be considered 'sexy.'"

The blonde chuckled. "Ah, well, I wouldn't be surprised if she did."

"Hm, I wonder if I should join in…" Akane thought about Ginny, Hermione, Harry, and Ron. Knowing the four of them, Ginny would probably be the only one willing to do a duo costume with her.

"Go for it," Daphne suggested. "It can be quite fun."

"What are good duo costumes then… That's if Ginny is actually willing though."

"Well," Daphne paused, thinking. "Anything, really. The stranger, the better. You could go dressed up as a matching pair of socks and Dumbledore would go for it; he's one of the judges. You could always ask around though, and see if other groups have spots available."

"Right… Do you guys here know about Catman and Superwoman?"

Daphne hummed. "I'd think most of us do, if we've ever walked around Diagon Alley before. Stuck-up purebloods- like Draco- may not, or he'd at least pretend he doesn't."

"Right," she thought about making a spinoff costume on the duo.

As Daphne left, Akane then continued to brainstorm plausable ideas that Ginny wouldn't hate but something unique enough to not have duplicates running around. The week passed and she had successfully convinced Ginny to play as the pixie boy, which she now fully embraced. Planning the actual costume was rough. Neither of them had the galleons at their disposal to custom order something and if they just bought their outfits then they'd look like everyone else.

So with Hermione's genius combination of spells, they were able to make a needle and thread sew the whole thing together. The girls even had Dean Thomas the local Gryffindor artist to sketch a design. Ginny opted for something more sexy, as she didn't want to be seen as the Weasley's youngest sister anymore, but as herself. Which Akane could see, as Ron did have an older brother protective streak thing running through him.

As the match came closer and closer, Akane and Diggory really didn't speak to each other. Not as they used to, but she did catch him staring every now and then which made her feel guiltier than anything else.

Perhaps it was because they didn't have a proper closure after the ordeal of Cho Chang and Cormac Mclaggen. Yet, she wasn't sure if she should even try to dig up old roots, scared to see how messy and tangled everything really is.

Soon came Saturday, the day everyone waited with baited breath. Ready to watch the match and then dress up in outfits they'd typically never wear again.

The stand were louder than usual and if that wasn't enough to heighten the intensity of the game, then she didn't know what else did. Hufflepuff had been having one hell of a season as her teammates like to put it. They've only lost one game so far, and that'd been to the Gryffindors because Harry found the snitch shy before Hannah could score the last quaffle. Overall, they'd been in the lead for the cup and this game could be the one that propels them forward.

She looked at her housemates then to her teammates, ready. Daphne's eyes were hard and concentrated, ready and unwilling to lose yet another match. Blaise's muscles were visibly tense although his face put up a facade, while Adrian. Adrian was already barking orders to every player, especially Harper, she assumed that he was the seeker of the team. One whistle later by the ever present Madam Hooch the games began.

Akane went for the quaffle just as Daphne hit the beater towards Hannah. Blaise was next to her catching up inch by inch which she tried to shake him off. She was nearing Adrian and he was preparing to guard those hoops as if they were his lifeline. Faking a center she then went left but was almost intercepted by Blaise. Cussing softly, she looped around to fake right and then go left, successfully making a score.

"-What's this? Harper seems to see the snitch, Diggory is closer! Ladies and Gents this might end faster than it normally would! Wait! No, the bludger almost hit Harper's hand and they've lost sight of it." The intercoms continued.

"Bloody hell," she heard Daphne say as she yet again hit the bludger away from one of her teammates. Akane could only nod, as she flew to defend Hannah seeing as she held the quaffle this time around. But Blaise knew better. He was able to intercept her throw, effectively taking it for himself as he raced towards Zach Smith.

The bludger was about to hit Blaise and she could only watch as he flew upside down for a moment to avoid the hit. Zach was able to block Blaise's throw but he quickly picked up the quaffle only to score into the other loop.

The game continued like this for another thirty minutes, everyone fairly tired. Yet before Akane could see where the quaffle went, she heard over the intercom.

"Harper has caught the snitch! I say! Harper has caught the snitch, Slytherin wins!" Cheers and boos roared through the stadium, but Akane couldn't help but feel more than infuriated at Cedric for not getting that blasted ball sooner.

"We did it!" Adrian flew a victory lap around the stadium with his arms wide open as if he was ready to hug the air. "We bloody did it!"

Akane even noticed that Blaise and Daphne shared a tired high-five and Harper held the ball as if it were the most precious thing he's ever owned. Although bitter about their second loss, she couldn't help but see the extreme joy on much of her housemate's faces. It was something unusual for her to see.

"Well we did what we could," Hannah sighed fixing her hair. "There's always next time."

"Yes, A next time," Akane could only think of how difficult the next practice might be. Then again, when did Cedric ever catch the snitch? During the game, the only reason they've won was because of Hannah, herself, and occasionally Zach. This made her wonder if Cedric was still cared for the game, or if he was preoccupied with something else and it was just a momentary lapse.

"Good game," Cedric smiled although his eyes brooded for him. "I'll see you guys next practice."

Why was it always Cedric that made her feel guilty? He always seemed to be in perfect order but really, she knew that he probably wasn't. Hoping that it wasn't her fault that he was preoccupied with other things, she walked back into the locker room only to be tackled by Ginny.

"We need to get dressed!" The ginger dragged Akane through the halls without letting her even take off her gear.

"We have time," Akane struggled to keep up with Ginny's fast pace.

"We still have somethings to catch up on," Ginny then added. "About our costumes, you know? I want to beat Parkinson and Brown so much!"

"What'd they do this time?" Akane rolled her eyes.

"I just want to dethrone those bints," then Ginny muttered. "I am not a _little girl_."


	37. Chapter 37: Halloween pt 1

"Chop chop!" Pansy was there waiting for them in the changing room, having dragged the remaining members of their group to wait with her. "We're getting changed. Now."

Pucey grumbled to himself and dropped his gear. The other teammates, including Warrington, just snickered and went about their own business. It was a mutual understanding that the costume contest meant _war,_ and no one was willing to back down.

"All of your outfits and accessories are waiting in your lockers," Pansy explained. "So go! Move it! We need to get there _fashionably late_ so everyone can see how much better we look than they do."

Astoria and Millicent took a step to the side and pulled a curtain shut, providing them privacy in a smaller changing area. Pansy was already dressed: deep reds and black, her make-up perfected and hair pulled tightly in a topknot. Blaise had to admit: she looked pretty good. Pansy had obviously put a lot of effort into these costumes.

He hoped they won just so she could calm down next year.

Blaise went about changing into his Water Tyrant uniform. Pansy mentioned some stuff about war paint, but that could wait.

"Draco! Let me help you."

The blonde flashed her a glare. "With _what?"_

"Just… hold still! We've got to get that scar on your face!"

Blaise only turned around when he heard a rather unmanly scream. "Bloody _bint,_ get your fucking wand away from me!" Pansy had a death-grip on Draco's bicep and was pointing her wand at his face, preparing to give him an _actual_ burn.

"It's called _authenticity,_ Draco!" she screeched back. He shoved away from her and accidentally knocked into Tracey, who was staring down disapprovingly at her revealed stomach. Ky Lee's costume wasn't the most modest of the bunch: a crop top with sleeves and baggy, blood red capris. Daphne had put aside her own costume and was helping Davis braid her hair.

" _I don't care-"_

Pansy sighed and reached for the blond's hair. "Your hair isn't even long enough to put in a topknot!"

"No! It's not!" Draco defended, not wanting a scar nor a topknot.

"Shame on you, Draco!"

Draco let forth a loud growl.

"At least he's getting his character right!" Millicent shouted from behind the changing curtain.

Theo was the next to be done. His character wore seemingly regular clothes under metal armour and a pair of tall boots. He glanced down at the rest of his props: two hook swords and a piece of wheatgrass. "Pans," he said. Pansy came running and adjusted his clothes, messed up his hair, and put the props where they belonged, strapped to his back. Theo stuck the grass in his mouth.

"Perfect," Pansy breathed, admiring Theo like a well-behaved child. "Just amazing. See, Draco, Theo can get it right."

" _Theo doesn't have a bloody burn on his face!"_

Daphne managed to get her outfit together alright, and Tracey fixed her hair accordingly. Blaise didn't have much trouble, either, but Pansy rushed over to put a helmet on his head, stick a boomerang in his belt, and smear paint on his face. Millicent and Astoria emerged fully dressed and ready, leaving a fuming Draco and a confused Adrian.

"Parkinson," Pucey piped up. "I don't have a shirt here."

"You don't get one," Pansy replied. "You're the _Minotaur._ Minotaurs don't wear shirts."

Pucey frowned. "Fine." It was easier to go along with Pansy's plans than to fight them. The Slytherin Quidditch captain pulled on his costume before fumbling with a disturbingly realistic bull mask. "I- I have to wear this?"

"Again, Adrian, you're a _minotaur_."

"It feels kinky."

"Don't make me come over there, Pucey," Pansy snapped.

Draco was the last to be ready. His costume was similar to Pansy's. Daphne had slicked his hair back in substitute of the topknot, and Tracey had lathered red goop on his face and was working it so it mimicked Xuko's scar.

Once they were ready, Pansy clapped her hands together. "Let's go, team! We've got a crowd to impress!"

With "Pazula" in the lead, the group trudged up to the castle, ignoring the awed faces of students they passed. Pansy grinned proudly.

The celebration had already started when they arrived, which in Pansy's mind was perfect. Students loitered in and outside the Great Hall, decked from head to toe in elaborate costumes. There was no sign of Lovegood and her creative crew, but they passed Lavender Brown and her group, dressed as the Revengers. It would have been creative if nearly every other group had put together similar costumes. Pansy smirked at Brown, victorious.

It was customary for groups to do some sort of entrance upon entering the Hall. It wasn't a requirement, but it always scored brownie points with Dumbledore. The other judges- the heads of the houses- preferred to judge based on certain areas.

Or so Blaise had heard.

Warrington had been kind enough to slyly offer to help them with their introduction in exchange for a kiss from Daphne. Pansy had agreed without the blonde girl's consent, and told her of the deal _now,_ right before walking in.

"Merlin, Pansy," Daphne cursed, heaving a sigh.

Pansy shook her head. "Warrington's not so bad, Daph."

From inside the Great Hall, Warrington's voice boomed out. "Fire!"

Pansy shoved Draco inside, with Astoria and Tracey in line behind them. The three girls struck a pose and at Pansy's hissing, Draco did the same.

"Water!"

Cue Blaise and Daphne. The two strut in, looking fierce, and posed side by side. Honestly, if Blaise wasn't a _smidge_ afraid of Pansy, he wouldn't care enough to put forth the effort. But seeing as Pansy was not against beheading, he didn't want to try it.

"Earth!"

Millicent and Theo walked in and stood beside them. Millicent did some sort of stomping move while Theo withdrew his swords.

"Horns!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Blaise watched as Pucey stomped in, hands curled into fists, intricate arrow markings adorning his skin. He charged through their group and took position at the front, posing like a classic strongman and flexing his muscles.

"Long ago-"

"You don't need to do the rest, Warrington!" Pansy hissed, and the seventh year Slytherin jerked his chin and gave a thumbs up. He pulled his wand away from his throat- probably using a spell to make his voice louder- and winked at Daphne. In response, the blonde visibly shuddered.

The students cheered, as did the professors. There were even a few "whoops!" from the corners of the room. Once the applause subsided, the group scattered, going their separate ways.

"Blaise," Daphne coughed. "Normally I wouldn't do this, but…" She trailed off and glanced at Warrington, who was flashing crazy eyes and grinning like an animal. "There's just something not right here."

"Yeah, yeah, I got you," Blaise sighed. He placed an arm around her shoulders and raised a brow at Warrington, who only interpreted this move as a challenge.

Pansy hurried over. "No flirting! You two are _siblings!"_ "Pazula" tried to forcibly rip them apart, but Blaise rolled his eyes.

"As her _brother,"_ Blaise drawled, "I'm protecting her from harm."

"What, Warrington?" Pansy asked, glancing over at the male. He, Harper, and Pike were dressed up as the Tres Amigos, a classic. "He's harmless."

Daphne simply shook her head.

"Where's _your_ brother?" Blaise questioned. He wasn't in the mood for Pansy's hounding, and from the looks of it, neither was Daphne.

"Oh, Draco's just…" Pansy looked around the room. "He's…" Her head whipped around, eyes narrowing. "Oh, no. He's not allowed to leave, not until the bloody _costume contest is over."_ Her last words ended in a hiss and she sauntered off, determined to find the brooding blond.

The moment she left, the two Water Tyrant "siblings" walked over to the snack table. Padma and her sister were there, being part of Brown's group, and Goldstein. Padma was dressed as a rather feminine Eagle Eye, Parvati was a similarly feminine Colonel America, and Goldstein- being in a completely different group- wore a detective getup.

Blaise noticed the lingering eye contact between his so-called sister and the detective, but didn't say anything about it.

"Zabini," Parvati greeted stiffly. "Greengrass."

"Patil," Daphne replied, equally as tense.

Parvati pursed her lips. Leaning closer to Padma, she said, "I'm gonna go find Lav."

Padma nodded and waved her off.

"So, Goldstein," Blaise started, and Goldstein startled, his gaze on Daphne shifting. "Who are you supposed to be?"

"Nick Valentine," Goldstein replied. At Blaise's slow blink, he added: "He's… from a Muggle videogame."

Blaise didn't say anything, but Daphne hummed. "You look very nice," she said, then to Padma, "As do you."

"Thanks," both Ravenclaws replied.

Cue an awkward silence. That is, until the tablecloth swayed, and Daphne took a tentative step back. Padma and Goldstein noticed the movement too, and inched away as well.

Sighing, Blaise crouched down and yanked up the cloth, revealing a hiding Pucey.

"What the fuck, Pucey?" Blaise asked.

The Quidditch captain shushed him, lifting a hand to his masked face. It was slightly unnerving, staring into the eyes of a bull. Pucey whisper-hissed, "I don't want Pansy to find me!"

"Why?"

"Because I goofed up on my arrows," Pucey explained, gesturing to his abdomen. The Minotaur wasn't supposed to have any arrows on the front of his body, only his limbs and back. However, Pucey had placed an extra intricate arrow coming from his shoulders and pointing to the waistline of his pants. Both of Blaise's eyebrows shot up. The implication was extreme. "She didn't notice at first but she did after our entrance and now she's threatening to skin me!"

"Can't you just… remove it?" Daphne asked, joining Blaise on the floor. From the sound of it, Padma and Goldstein had struck up conversation in the Slytherins' partial absence.

Pucey shook his head, causing his mask to twist wildly. For a moment there, he resembled a rabid animal. "It's a spell, it's like a temporary tattoo. Trick is, though, it won't go away for twelve hours, at _least."_

Blaise snorted.

"And I can't wear a shirt either, because she'll just tell me to take it off," Pucey continued, thoroughly distressed. "Shite!"

"Sounds like a you problem," Blaise drawled.

Pucey growled, a truly menacing sight. "Fuck you too, Zabini."

Blaise simply laughed and dropped the tablecloth back on his housemate. Daphne was smirking too, amused at Pucey's pain.

Padma grinned at the two of them. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it," Blaise brushed it off.

The four of them managed somewhat comfortable small talk for a bit. Blaise still held that arm around Daphne, and the two glanced back at Warrington every few moments. Once again, Warrington was a decent bloke when he wasn't an outright douche. Blaise didn't blame Daphne for not wanting to get ambushed.

Pansy's wild eyes and bitchy resting face told Blaise that she still hadn't found her "brother." Astoria, Millicent, and Tracey, on the other hand, were chatting with a few Ravenclaws on the other side of the Great Hall. Blaise had to guess that it was around seven o'clock. The judging for the costume contest took place at nine.

 _So far, so good,_ he told himself.

* * *

(A/N) Another disclaimer! We do not own the Avengers OR Nick Valentine! (but we did create the off-brand versions of the heroes.)


	38. Chapter 38: Halloween pt 2

She didn't want to do this. She even told Ginny outright that this was ridiculous.

"Did you really have to shorten the skirt _that_ much?" She watched as her pants were turned into a skirt, then Akane watched as the skirt became alarmingly small.

"We want to win don't we?" Ginny continued, "Brown and Parkinson, they pull all the stops. Besides, it's a high low skirt _with_ ruffles. You'll be fine." Then she started to hem the red jacket so it would fit snugly. By the time Ginny was finished the only thing that was left in it's original state was the hat with it's overly large and floofy feather.

"I feel so… Exposed," Akane replied as she tugged up on the high socks and tried to pull down on the skirt.

"Please, you'll be fine." Ginny came out strutting in her Peter Pot outfit. It was much like the original with the exception that the tights were missing, shoes were replaced with heels, and that Ginny lowered the 'v' on her dress. "Come on Akane, don't you want to win?"

"Yes but," Akane looked to the heels her friend 'fixed' for her. She couldn't help but think of how many times she'd stumble. "I'll fall in these."

"They're not even that high."

"They're over three inches."

"They're three and a half, plus they're not thin like mine." She lifted her shoe to show Akane that she was really going for it.

"And I thought you didn't want to do this."

"That was until Lavender called me un-shaggable and Parkinson said that I don't have _womanly assets_." Ginny waved her hands in disbelief. "I'll show them."

They waited for Parkinson and their clan of Hornbenders to present themselves first, just like Ginny said because they always had one of the better entrances to the party. Akane watched as Ginny started to cast a spell on her boots that would temporarily allow her to fly and she winked at Akane as she flew her way through the doors with such liveliness, screaming.

"You'll never catch me Rook!"

"Agh," Akane stood at the doorway with a prop rapier sword. Holding it in the air she then screamed back, "You'll never be allowed to escape alive Peter!" With that their plan continued. Akane didn't fly like her counterpart but what she was able to do was something quite interesting in itself.

One quick flick later while Ginny distracted the crowd, Akane conjured up some heavy fog, and an image of a large boat appeared. With the use of muggle holographics and some tinkering here and there, Akane was able to 'stand' on the pirate ship along with some music to set the mood.

"Rook you'll never be able to-" 'Peter' continued to boast as she floated around awing students.

"That's what you think, but what are you without your Tink?" Akane held up a lantern with a fake pixie that still glowed fairly bright.

"Rook you bloody bastard! How dare you take him!" Ginny then took out her small dagger prepared to fight.

"As if you're anything without him," Akane then held the lantern close to her face and kissed the glass while eying her 'sworn enemy' maliciously. Without another word of dialogue the two 'fought' for only a brief moment until Ginny gave the signal to Akane. With another swing of her rapier the ship vanished in the fog cleared.

"You'd never be able to outsmart me Pot," 'Rook' held Ginny at the tip of the sword.

"That's what you think," Ginny then called for the fake pixie. "Tink!"

Then the 'pixie' emitted a bright light, so bright that it'd leave spots in anyone's eyes if they stared for the whole duration of its illumination. Once it died down the two girl bowed to their stunned audience and the music had stopped.

"Did it work?" Akane whispered to Ginny, but before she could reply the audience cheered like thunder.

"Amazing work!" Was a phrase the pair heard quite often. Eventually it died down and they found Harry, Hermione, and Ron by the snacks.

"Ginny! What are you wearing?" Ron asked his younger sister, not liking the way the other guys were staring.

"A costume," Ginny replied just as sassy as the pixie boy she was supposed to imitate. "What are you wearing?"

"I'm Superguy." He pointed to himself with a grin. Then pointed to Hermione and Harry, "they're Wondergirl and Batguy."

"We could've introduced ourselves, Ronald." Hermione wasn't particularly happy with the ginger addition of their group.

"Right, right." He held his hands up then looked towards Akane. "Wicked performance you two did, I didn't even think about that."

"Thank-"

"Won-Won!" Lavender called out scandalized. "Why are you fraternizing with the enemy!"

"Enemy?" Ginny then remembered that it was more than just a Halloween competition to her, it extended to her hatred of Akane Mikoshiba. Ginny momentarily forgot that her friend was a quidditch star that plagued most dreams of many boys within the school.

"Won-Won!"

"She's worse than Pansy," Akane muttered as she continued to hear the chatterbox do what she does best. Non-relevant chatter.

"Ginny, look over there." Akane gestured towards Neville who looked slightly lost. She knew that Ginny and Neville had something going on after that quidditch game, she just knew something was up.

Shoving the girl towards the boy, she smirked slightly as Ginny blushed just as much as Neville had.

"Tapping into your inner Slytherin, huh?" Akane turned around to meet the owner of the voice.

"Blaise," she tilted her hat in a pirate fashion.

"Mikoshiba," he returned the greeting with a jerk of his chin.

"What's with the… Fur?" She then joked, "It looks like you killed something."

He glanced down at his getup. "C'mon, Mikoshiba. Don't tell me you don't recognize this."

"I didn't say that I don't, it's just a little excessive on the fur," she then looked up to meet his eyes. "Pansy?"

"Definitely Pansy," Blaise nodded.

"What are you doing over here?" She looked for any of his groupmates.

He looked around. "Pansy sent me to find the rest of our group. A few people ran off, and she's getting pissy."

"Really?" Akane found Pazula among the crowd. "I couldn't tell."

"Ha, ha," he gave a fake laugh. "Yeah, she fits the role pretty well."

"Yours does too," she then gestured. "You look like the character. Almost too well."

"Thanks, I guess," Blaise smirked. "You make a pretty… interesting pirate."

"I'm actually Captain Rook," she puffed her chest. "The baddest pirate all around." Then she tugged down at her skirt seeing as her previous action made it rise just a tad.

Blaise observed her actions and raised a brow. "You okay over there?"

"Yeah," she also tugged at her socks. "It's just a little cold, that's all."

"I'd offer you a pound of this fur if I didn't think Pansy was going to murder me for doing so," Blaise said. "She's already got Pucey hiding under a table."

Akane laughed slightly, "Really? I wonder where he was when I saw you guys."

"Probably under the table," Blaise snorted. "Dunno how long he's been down there."

"Poor Adrian," she then glanced around watching the party-goers. "Some girls really went… All out. Literally. It's all out."

Blaise shook his head in disapproval. "No tact at all," he commented.

Then she noticed the cluster of Dismal Princesses and cliche costumes huddled all in one corner. "Poor bloke. I didn't even get to see why they wanted to tear him apart," she faked sympathy. Knowing full and well it was to be expected.

"Who, Diggory?"

"That's Ced-Diggory in that cluster?" She couldn't see him due to the puffy hairstyles and the overly large bows.

"Is it not?" Blaise asked, trying to get a better look for himself.

"Maybe it's Borkan?" She looked equally as ridiculous as him, swaying side to side to just catch a glimpse.

Blaise shook his head. "I thought Borkan was up with the teachers."

"He probably was just recruited to go up there," she shook her head in actual sympathy for him. "He tells me these horror stories about the girls here. Can you imagine? They used muggle devices to spy on him in his sleep!"

Blaise didn't look nearly as aghast as she did. "Is that so?"

"It's disgusting. Who invades someone's privacy like that?" She moved her hands in the air slightly to emphasize how gross she found it.

"Yeah, real nasty," Blaise agreed dryly.

"Really?" It was her turn to raise a brow at him.

Shrugging, Blaise responded. "Honestly, I don't really care, but I get how that can bother people."

"Does it not bother you?"

"If someone loaded my room with cameras, I'd be flattered."

"Really?" She then recalled on how he had a playboy streak. "What if it was Brown? Would it still be flattering?"

He hummed for a moment. "Yeah, I mean. She's a bint, but she's fit."

"Kami Zabini, you really are a hentai." She slapped her forehead lightly.

"Not even gonna ask," Blaise chuckled.

"If I'm honest, I'd be impressed if you'd understood what I said." Then she waved it off, "But then I'd wonder how you knew what I said. They don't teach Japanese here surprisingly."

"Eh, you never know. I've found some _pretty_ suspicious things under Crabbe's bed," Blaise snorted, shaking his head. "And what do you mean, surprisingly?"

"Mahokoutoro require the students to take up a second language, English was a popular one seeing as there are two well known wizarding schools that speak primarily English." She explained why she was able to speak to fluently.

Blaise nodded. "Makes sense. It's not a requirement here. I don't think they even teach other languages." He glanced off to the side in thought. "Draco knows some French, but I think his mum taught him that."

"What about you?" Akane asked, "Do you know another language?"

"I've picked up on what I can, my mum's got a lot of foreign friends. She's also Italian, hence the last name," Blaise replied. "And I think I had some relatives in Africa at some point, but that was a long time ago."

"So what can you say in a different language other than one word phrases?"

" _Sorridi per me, il mio amore_. It's a great pick-up line."

"And what does that mean?"

The answer rolled right off his tongue. "Smile for me, my love."

"That's sweet." She was surprised at how romantic the line was, "Where did you learn that one? Better yet who did you last use it on?" She waggled her brows.

"Interested, are we?" Blaise smirked. "My mum's seventh boyfriend taught me that, on our trip to Italy a few years ago. Last used… on Weaslette."

"Really? Ginny? You were her last 'great' lay?"

"What, has she talked about me?"

"Not about you, but she did seem _much_ more content. So I asked and she said something along the lines of that," Akane watched his reactions.

"Cool," he said, oddly satisfied.

"Just so you know, Ginny's eyes are on Neville." She warned, "I don't want you to get hurt so I just wanted to make sure you know."

He laughed. "Cute. Thanks, but you don't need to worry about that. Weaslette's a good lay, but I'm not in it for relationships."

"Good to know," she nodded. Making sure that Ginny wouldn't have to deal with the added drama.

Blaise shrugged. "So, what about you? Diggory, McLaggen… who's got your eye now?"

"You make it sound like I'm building a harem of attractive men," she replied.

"Are you not?"

"I don't think I am?" She replied unsure. "I didn't mean to. I swear."

"Chill, it's cool. Just a little funny, is all," he said.

"Funny? I guess if I weren't me it'd be funny."

He watched her for a moment. "Are you not enjoying it?"

"I… I was until everything came down, but I didn't like how Cedric was still hooked on me and I unintentionally hurt him in the process."

Blaise let out a heavy sigh. "Don't worry about Diggory. He's a big boy. He might be sour about it now, but he'll get past it."

"I hope so… I haven't talked to him about any of this. I'm not sure how to though without either one of us getting even more hurt."

"As Daphne would probably say, 'communication is key.' Dunno what happened to her, but she turned into a bloody psychologist over the summer," Blaise drawled, a hit of sarcasm at the end.

"I appreciate it though, the both of you." Akane paused, "Without either of you, I don't think that Slytherin would be as alright as it is now… I probably would be sleeping in the Gryffindor common rooms," she joked.

Instead of joking along with her, Blaise's expression turned dark. "Don't thank me. I was an arse to you."

"But you aren't now," She pointed out.

"Maybe," he agreed. "But I'm no Daphne."

"But you're Blaise."

He offered a tight grin. "Being _Blaise_ isn't all that great."

"Perhaps," she shrugged. "But regardless of your name, I like talking to you now."

"You're not all that bad either, Mikoshiba."

"That's a good thing to know," she watched as the girls become more rabid.

Blaise followed her line of sight. "Concerning, don't you think?"

"Should we… Help?"

"Depends on who it is," Blaise said.

"Um," she did the same spell as Ginny did earlier. "It's Cedric… I think."

"You think?" Blaise asked, skeptical.

"Does it matter?" She was still hovering above ground.

He snorted. "I can see up your skirt, you know."

"What-Why are you looking?"

"Got a nice arse, Mikoshiba," Blaise plainly stated.

"Stop staring," she tried to get her feet back on the ground but unlike Ginny, she didn't need to perfect this spell.

He snickered, but when he noticed her struggling to get down, asked, "Do you need help?"

"Please." She tried to reach for his hand but Akane wanted to also hold her skirt to her sides.

Instead of grabbing her hand, though, Blaise grabbed her leg and tugged her down. "Relax. I'm not looking."

"Gently!" She whispered.

His grip lessened slightly and he pulled with less force. "Gently," he repeated, a bit mocking.

"Sorry," she didn't understand how this magic worked until it clicked. Disregarding her skirt, she tossed one of her boots to the ground and they floated while she sank. The other went quickly but she didn't realise that she'd fall. "Shite!"

"Fuck-" Blaise grunted, awkwardly catching her.

"I'm sorry!" she realised that her body was flushed against his.

"No need to apologize." She could hear the smirk in his voice.

"They're glaring at me." Akane looked around.

Blaise pushed her off of him, only slightly. "Who?"

"Your fanclub I think?" She moved so that they didn't have a reason to plot her murder.

"Fanclub?" he repeated, meeting several eyes around the room. "Since _bloody when_?"

"Since… I don't know, but I do now that they're probably thinking of a way to get rid of my body in the black lake." She stood up and offered him a hand.

He took her hand, and let her help him up. In response to her remark, he said, "Embrace the Black Lake. Great place to skinny dip."

"I didn't say that it was bad, but I don't think that I'd be resurfacing if they had anything to do with it." She crossed her arms and watched her boots continue to float in different directions.

"Just ignore them. I didn't even know these girls existed until now."

"Somehow, I feel as if you would. You don't strike me as the type to be dense."

Blaise chuckled. "What a compliment. And you're right; I'm not."

"See? You're not the type to not know something," she looked at him.

"You can thank Pansy for that," he snorted.

"Well." She shuddered as one of the girls snarled at her. "I think I should get moving, staying with you might mean my sudden death."

"Fair enough. I've gotta find Daph anyways," Blaise sighed. "Warrington's got a crazed look in his eyes, so watch out."

"Warrington doesn't like me," she scoffed. "I don't even know who he is."

"Seventh year Slytherin, on the quidditch team. You've seen him, you probably just didn't realize who he was," Blaise explained, then added: "He's the douchey-looking one."

"Still, he's got eyes for Daphne although we both know she doesn't like him even the slightest bit." She brushed off the fact that Warrington was on the prowl. "He wouldn't aim for me."

Blaise nodded, understanding. "Privy to Greengrass's secrets, are we?"

"You've noticed haven't you?"

"Yeah, I have," Blaise stated.

"So no harm done, as long as it doesn't get to Pansy she'll be fine."

"Speaking of," Blaise started, glancing at some place over her shoulder. "Harpy's on the move. I think she's gathering the group."

"May your group have the best of luck," she waved off in a friendly manner.

He only laughed, and waved back.

* * *

(A/N) More disclaimers! We do not own any member of the Justice League, Disney Princesses, or Peter Pan and related characters.


	39. Chapter 39: Halloween pt 3

So maybe he and Akane got along better than he originally thought.

The girl seemed alright, despite the fact that she was far too wary of others' wellbeing to be a strong Slytherin. But he wouldn't tell her that. It was refreshing to talk to someone who wasn't as selfish as the lot he often found himself surrounded with.

He wandered over to Pansy, careful of the watchful eyes of his so-called "fanclub." He knew they were there, and he certainly knew who they were, but for the sake of appearances, he ignored them and approached the angry Fire Nymph Princess.

"There you are!" Pansy yelled, beckoning him over with a wildly waving hand. "Hurry up! We've got three more to find!"

Tracey, Daphne, Millicent, and Astoria all stood around her. Draco, Theo, and Pucey were still absent.

"Pucey's under a table somewhere," Blaise stated, nonchalant. Pansy bristled and immediately started checking the tables around them, yanking at tablecloths and seething at the empty floor. While waiting for her to come back, Blaise turned to Daphne and asked, "Did Warrington ever corner you?"

Daphne shook her head. "Luckily, no. I snuck off with Anthony shortly after you left."

"Good," Blaise nodded.

"I've gotten so many compliments on my costume," Millicent grinned, glancing down at her green and cream garments. Blaise tuned in to the girls' conversation. "I think we're going to rank. We've got some of the best ones here."

Tracey didn't look as thrilled. "Yeah, I've _loved_ the compliments." She wrapped her arms around her stomach, still a bit insecure.

"Don't be modest, Tracey!" Astoria smiled at her friend. "You look great."

"Not the first time I've heard that," Tracey grimaced and held out her hands. She started tallying. "Warrington, then Goyle, then Crabbe- twice- and Pucey, from under the table... Belby, McLaggen, Smith, Harper and Pike- three times each- Longbottom, but I think that was an actual compliment…"

"You do look nice," Blaise tried.

"And now Zabini."

Astoria sighed. "If it makes you feel any better, I've tripped over my skirt a few times."

Tracey stared at the girl. "It doesn't."

Pansy returned just then, dragging Pucey over by a bullhorn. He groaned, arms flailing out to try and whack Pansy away, but she never let go. "Found Adrian. _Keep him here._ I'm going to find the other two." She sauntered off, resembling the character uncannily.

"Shite," Pucey cursed from under the mask. "I really want to take this sodding thing off."

"No can do," Millicent replied, shaking her head. "We've only got twenty minutes before the contest starts. Surely you can wait?"

Pucey grumbled, but his voice was muffled by the headgear.

Conversation came to a lull and Blaise glanced around the room. The other groups were gathering, clumping together around the room and fixing costumes. Millicent and Astoria followed suit, and helped each other adjust any errors.

Daphne walked over to him. "I saw you talking to Akane."

"Had a break from Goldstein, did you?"

She offered a bark of sarcastic laughter. "You two seem to get along."

"Don't misinterpret anything," Blaise warned.

"I'm not," Daphne said. "I'm just making an observation."

He shrugged. "Sure you are."

Daphne tsked. "I'm just glad you're making an effort. You looked like you were being civil, and I'm proud of you."

"Proud of me?" he recited. "What, am I your brother or your child?"

"Both, apparently," Daphne joked. "But really. Thank you."

He wished people would stop thanking him.

"I haven't been able to talk to her as much recently, so I'm glad she has you," Daphne continued. "She's a sweet girl-"

Blaise held up a hand. "She doesn't 'have me.'"

Pursing her lips, Daphne asked, "Are you sure?"

"'Having me' means trusting me, and that's something no one should do."

"I trust you. I 'have' you, don't I?"

"It'd be news to me."

Daphne shook her head. "Well, either way. You're there for her, and I appreciate that." Her words sounded awfully familiar, but hearing them now only made Blaise's mood sour. He wasn't "there for other people," and he certainly wasn't deserving of "appreciation." Blaise minded his own business and lived for himself. More common than not, it appeared people were seeing things in him that weren't really there.

Was he completely wrong about something?

He gave a jerky shake and forced himself to clear his mind.

"It's the least I can do," Blaise lied. It wasn't.

It seemed like eons before Pansy came back with "Xuko" and "Met" lagging behind her, eyes glazed over. She pulled them into the group and stared at them like they'd wronged her.

"They were drinking in a broom closet," Pansy explained, hand on her hip. In her other hand, she held a familiar silver flash, initials _D. M_. engraved on the side. She tried to glare at them, but she broke early- incredibly unlike her- and sighed, exasperated. "You're like children."

No comment on Draco's smudged scar or Theo's lack of wheatgrass. No lecturing about wrinkled costumes or misplaces strands of hair. She just stood there and fixed what she needed to, wand in hand. Draco's dull grey eyes watched her- obviously drunk- as she tended to him and his "friend."

"Did you terrorize anyone?" Pansy asked, rather motherly. The image was sweet but incredibly unnerving, and Daphne clutched Blaise's arm, preparing for disaster.

"N-no," Draco replied.

Pansy nodded. "I'm sending you back to the dorms once the contest is over."

"Yes, ma'am," both Draco and Theo said, in unison.

The rest of the group stood frozen to the ground. She glanced at each and every one of them. "Well, come on! We've got just a few minutes before the contest starts! Quick, Millicent, Tori, can you go save us a spot in the line-up? I've got some costumes to fix."

Millicent and Astoria ran off to do as they were told and just like that, Pansy was back, screeching at Adrian for getting his mask all bent and snapping at Daphne for letting her hair "get so frizzy." Pansy waved her wand this way and that, fixing small errors and casting Glamour charm after Glamour charm until the lot of them appeared, in her eyes, flawless. Once done, she pushed them over to the line-up and the group waited for the judges to do their job.

Blaise supposed he couldn't be surprised by the turnout. They had found themselves in a three-way tie between Lovegood's group, Akane and Weaslette, and themselves. Lavender Brown and her "Revengers" placed second, although technically, based on the numbers, second meant fourth. Brown was in tears.

Akane and Weaslette cheered along with Lovegood and her group. This year, Lovegood's group consisted of eerily realistic zombies. Someone had cast a spell over the group so they could only communicate in grunts and groans, and Dumbledore went wild.

Pansy was pleased she triumphed over Brown, but she didn't care for having to share first place. Dumbledore took the first place trophy and duplicated it, resulting in three, and handed one out to each group. Pansy handed the piece to Theo, who grasped it firmly in his drunken state, and led the two inebriated boys back to the Slytherin common room with a promise to be back.

Once the contest was officially over, students began picking at their costumes and preparing for the _real_ party.

As was custom, the professors would go to bed around ten, but the celebration didn't end. No, at this time, the ghosts would take over as chaperones and carry on their own party in the Great Hall with the students. Curfew was nonexistent. The party would typically last throughout the night and into the wee hours of the morning, sometimes until breakfast was being served.

Something _weird_ always happened at this time, too.

Last year, Blaise got roped into a game of spin the bottle, which is how he ended up snogging Katie Bell in a broom closet at three in the morning. The year before that was the Triwizard Tournament, and the Halloween celebration was actually incredible, what with three times the amount of students. He managed to snog a good few Beauxbatons girls- and one guy, there was some confusion, but it wasn't _bad-_ that night. Fourth year was also the year Pucey lost his virginity to some French girl who also _really loved quidditch,_ but from Blaise's understanding, the two hadn't made contact since then.

But it wasn't strange for things to get weirder. One year, the Weasley twins spiked the punch bowl and ended up drinking so much of it themselves that they ended up parading around the school imitating Gilderoy Lockhart and one of his "forbidden lovers." There was one time that Flint challenged Oliver Wood to a quidditch duel, and the two held a full-scale game in the Great Hall. There were stories of a disco party happening where students danced to the same song for two hours straight, but Blaise wasn't present for that.

Long story short: anything could happen.

The professors had started to gather their items and finish their drinks. It was nearing ten, and Blaise was _ready._ Daphne wore a mischievous grin, too, watching as people started to get antsy.

"What do you think will happen this year?" she asked, still standing close to Blaise.

It was too hard to tell. No one gave any indication of what anyone had planned, not that they would. It was the element of surprise and spontaneity that made this celebration one of the most memorable.

"Dunno," Blaise said. "You?"

"I'm not sure either." Daphne sounded a bit whimsical. "But I have this feeling that _something_ will happen, you know?"

Blaise knew. He said as much.

"Do me a favor and knock Warrington out, will you?"

He snorted. "Yeah, sure."

Snape was the first to leave. Blaise was surprised he even _stayed._ McGonagall followed him out, with Flitwick not far behind. Dumbledore and Sprout lingered, though. Borkan was nowhere to be seen.

Tension in the room thickened, and if Blaise were a poet, he'd say it was getting hard to breath. Alas, he was not, so he ignored the thought and continued observing the strange growing atmosphere in the room.

"Are you staying for the whole thing?" Daphne asked. She, too, was getting restless, but she was doing a much better job at hiding it.

"I have to," Blaise blurted.

Daphne raised a perfect brow.

"I'd rather not walk into anything again," Blaise tried, but she still stared at him, not indicating any sort of response. "Fuck, nevermind."

"I think I'll stay," Daphne answered her own question, ignoring his strange response. "Anthony said he'd meet up with me later."

He whistled. "I see."

"Yeah, he's a great guy-"

Pansy came back right on time, a bit out of breath. She reached up and flattened any flyaway hairs, grinning eagerly. "Did I miss anything?"

"No, we're just waiting," Millicent replied. "Dumbledore's still here."

"Great," Pansy breathed. "Perfect."

"How are they?" Tracey asked, referring to their two drunken peers.

Pansy replied, "Horny."

"Ah," Tracey said, probably not really understanding. It was hard to focus on much of anything with the suspension. One move and people would think something was happening.

A few of the ghosts trickled in. Dumbledore took that as his time to leave. Before doing so, he stood up to the podium and held his wand to his throat. "You know the rules. Have fun, and be careful." He stepped down the platform with a wink and glided out of the room, Professor Sprout following behind and waving to her students with a knowing grin.

Once they were out of the Great Hall, chatter began to stir up again. A few students ducked out into the hall, and the murmurs silenced, anticipation high.

They had been standing in the Great Hall for a few moments now in complete and utter silence until two figures appeared, standing in the doorway, arms extended and wands held high. Together, Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil levitated a grand fountain. Its contents, however, could not be seen.

Students parted like the two had the plague, watching eagerly as the duo strutted down the hall. They paused in the middle and carefully set the fountain down, revealing a display of sparkling pink liquid. The fountain had four tiers and a giant heart at the top. It was taller than Blaise.

"Welcome, everyone, to this year's Halloween celebration!" Lavender cheered, and several students cheered with her. After a beat- and still grinning- Lavender shouted, "I'd like you all to say hello to our fountain of _Amortentia_!"

Right then, the doors to the Great Hall slammed shut with a resonating boom. Nobody moved.

Perhaps Blaise wasn't so ready. He glanced around at his group, recognizing the alarm- and possible fear- on their faces. Amortentia, the world's strongest love potion.

No, Blaise was certainly not ready.

Blaise was _screwed._


	40. Chapter 40: Halloween pt 4 - The Harem

"Fountain of Amortentia!" Lavender shouted and Akane choked on her pink punch.

"Bloody hell," Harry tossed his cup into the waste bin. "Did they put it in every bowl?"

"Harry," Hermione was practically wrapped around him. "Harry. Come on, I miss you."

"Mione, this-this. You're. Um," Harry panicked knowing the effects of the love potion.

"Isn't that the thing we brewed on the first day?" Akane didn't fully comprehend the entire situation. Wasn't it only supposed to tell you your soul mate by scent?

"Shite," Ginny whispered as Akane's eyes dilated. "This is bad."

"What's going on?" Akane had to hold on to her friend, "Ginny."

"Akane, the potion is a love potion. It's a seriously strong aphrodisiac, you need to um. Protection spells, because just in case." Ginny fumbled with her word.

"Protection for what?"

"Things," she waved her hands in a motion that Akane couldn't follow but she was soon enveloped in a warm feeling. "Okay, you're protected. Try to stay away from the middle of the crowd and-" Before Ginny could finish Akane was whisked away by someone. "Blistering-"

"Ginny!" Neville was jogging towards her in his knight costume. "It's you."

"What-" She was interrupted by a kiss.

As Akane felt lighter than air she allowed this stranger to drag her away to the side of the hall. One, two, three kisses later Akane couldn't help but feel the need to kiss this stranger and his butterscotch lips. _Butterscotch._

Knowing who these lips belonged to, she broke apart breathing heavily, "Cormac? What-"

He kissed her again, desperately. "I remember this smell, it's something only you could pull off."

"Cormac-" She was again kissing him, confused but happy nonetheless. He smelled her, does this mean that they're soulmates? According to Slughorn that was how the potion was supposed to work.

"Akane?" A familiar voice asked.

"Zabini?" It was Cormac's husky voice.

"Well, look at you," Blaise drawled. "I knew McLaggen would come running."

"Blaise?" She moved to see him better.

"Hey there," he said, offering a wave. "Where's the dog?"

"Are you calling me a dog?" Cedric showed his face.

Blaise smirked. " _There_ he is."

"What're you doing here?" Cormac glared slightly. "It's not exactly an open space"

"Right back at you, McLaggen," Blaise sneered. "What are _you_ doing here? Last I heard, you and Mikoshiba here broke up."

Akane moved away from Cormac hoping it would defuse some of the tension.

"Blaise," she looked at him seeing that he was tense.

"I'm fine," he claimed, but there was obviously something off about him.

"Blaise," she had to walk towards him with her hand on his arm. Out of the three boys, Blaise was the least stable. She knew him for the least amount of time so she wasn't able to predict what he may do.

He took a step back with her step forward. "Don't look at me like that. I haven't eaten- drank- anything- _fuck-"_

"Zabini," it was Cedric this time. "Are you alright?"

"What _do you_ think, Diggory?" Blaise snapped, clearly on edge.

"Wait," Akane staggered back. "Wait I-I isn't this. Isn't the potion supposed to tell you your soulmate or something?" She looked at the three with glazed eyes.

"I smelled it, yeah." Diggory admitted. "It was sweet, really sweet. Like candy almost but not quite and I remember it that smell only because it reminded me of you."

"But-" Akane looked to Cormac who claimed the same thing. "What?" She then looked to her housemate with wonder.

Blaise continued to glare at the two males, not providing a response of his own.

"I-I," Akane took the next goblet of the potion and inhaled. Grassy field, most likely quidditch field because that's where she's smelled that smell before. Butterscotch was obvious, then there was an expensive cologne and something cookie like.

Macaroons. Cedric did say that he wanted to make them one day, but the cologne. Akane looked to Blaise knowing that smell.

Three?

Is that possible?

"What?" Akane shouted to no one in particular.

"Bloody hell." Cormac soon realised her dilemma.

"What?" Cedric still couldn't think that this was real.

Blaise glanced between the three of them and cursed under his breath. "Forget this." He made move to walk away.

"I don't get it…" Akane looked at his retreating figure then back to her other two soulmates. She then crossed her arms around her waist. "This doesn't make sense… How is it split this many times?"

"Is there any other fucking one else?" Cormac growled frustrated he'd either have to fight these blokes off or share. Neither sounding too appealing.

"Pucey don't you dare," Cedric watched as Adrian walked over to their corner.

"Hey guys, Akane." He took off the mask, "What are you doing over here?"

"None of your business, Pucey." Cormac was still on the edge.

"Calm your bollocks down, McLaggen, I'm not here to talk to you." Adrian sneered at him, "I'm here to talk to Akane."

"Me?" Akane was hoping her suspicions wouldn't be true. "What is it, Pucey?"

"Call me Adrian, or Ade, whichever you prefer." He knelt down slightly to her lips, which Cedric and Cormac tensed immediately. "I was right."

"Huh?" Akane couldn't fathom another. "Right about what?" Then it hit her, quidditch the smell of grass. It didn't simply mean that it was only applicable to Cormac, Blasie, and Cedric. She forgot about the possibility of Adrian, he was the quidditch nut of the school.

"That your costume is really cute," he then puffed his chest slightly. "I wonder what it'd look like if-"

"I hope you're drunk Pucey," Cormac rolled up the sleeves to his Captain England costume. "Because this'll hurt shite ton less-"

"Cormac!" Akane prevented Adrian from receiving a nasty pummeling. "Stop. Please stop."

"But he was-"

"I know what he was trying to do." She turned Adrian around and shoved him slightly so that he'd leave the explosive area. Then she turned to see her two soul mates that hadn't left. The open airy smell of the quidditch field meant that there was one more out there. He or she played quidditch otherwise the scent wouldn't make any sense.

"Akane?" Ever gentle Cedric reached out to her first, "What's happening?"

"I don't know." She allowed him to touch her arm lightly. Although soulmates she was unsure about where they stood. Their talk was _postponed_ for the longest time and to be forced back into this situation just like 'that' wasn't something Akane liked.

"I think we should go," Cedric gestured to the doors. Away from the randy crowd that seemed to take no shame in their actions in the middle of the floor.

"Christ, I eat on that table." Cormac's disgusted face was prominent.

Before she could take a peek at what had been happening Cedric only guided her head towards the door. "You don't want to see it."

As the trio made their way out of the party, Akane couldn't help but think of how bad her luck was. Sure, she had arguably the most attractive young men in the school as her soulmate. But that didn't mean that it was a binding contract, they weren't obliged to stay with her as she to them.

Cedric, she glanced at the young man who had his arm around her in a protective manner. She had hurt him so many times. Especially when she didn't mean to, but he didn't know that. This was Cedric, not Blaise or Cormac. He wasn't as insightful as the other two. But that's what made him Cedric Diggory. The man with the heart of gold. He was kind, always and his loyalty never wavered. It was that, that made Cedric so special. He was so uncorrupted by the world, yet he knew what it had in store and still held a smile.

Then there was Cormac. Her first boyfriend at Hogwarts, the man she gave all her firsts' to with the exception of Blaise. They've shared so much it'd be a tragedy if they didn't have some sort of deeper bond. But they ended so bitterly it still brought tears to her eyes. Remembering exactly how she felt, especially since it was so recent. Too stubborn to let go but to caring to make them stay. She was scared on how things would work, if they even _did_ work how would their dynamic be? Cormac wasn't the one to share and neither was Cedric, so they'd have to battle it out most likely, but still she'd still be missing two out of her three soulmates.

Then there was the enigma that was Blaise. He was a downright arse to her after she noticed his eating habits, which he only confirmed for her that night. He was so bitter a bosu with every chance he had. But for some reason he was kind for a moment. Then that kindness changed things in a way she didn't expect. Especially since she wasn't the type to forgive so easily, especially after _him._ But somehow, as they spoke. It was like nothing else mattered but themselves. Names were irrelevant, as were titles, and status. It was something that she wouldn't trade away even if it was a rocky start. But then she remembered how he left her after he didn't want to deal with _this._ That had hurt.

Then there was the mystery of number four. Who was this other person? Blaise… Blaise would plot murder, Cormac would undoubtedly help cremate them, then Cedric would lie to the officials knowing that they'd trust him.

"Are you okay, Love?" It was Cormac crouching down so that he'd be able to see her eyes. "What's wrong? Is it because-"

"No." She shook her head now conscious of the tears. "I'm just so confused. Why is it always this way?" It was then she noticed that she was somewhere else, somewhere she hadn't been before. Was this the special study room that only the prefects have access to?

"What do you mean?" Cedric asked as he still held her as because he was her only support.

"Everything," she guided herself to the rug letting her floofy skirt crumple. "Why is it always me that ends up in some sort of drama that should be reserved for some film? I don't get it!"

"Love," Cormac knew her general history. Especially where it concerned Tomoda. "Love, you can't be so hard on yourself it's not your fault."

"But still." She shook her head and the hat fell. "I don't understand how any of this happened. What'll happen to you two if we don't stay with each other? Are you connected or is that only me? Does this mean you'll murder each other until only one of you are standing or what? I didn't want to hurt anyone."

"Akane," Cedric called to her. Then she looked into his green eyes, much to Cormac's distaste he kissed her forehead in a comforting manner. Ever to chaste, but it was nonetheless a kiss. Then he cradled her head into his chest a way only Cedric could do. "It'll all work out… I'm sure it won't boil down to plotting each other's murder," which Cormac snorted softly but was interrupted by Cedric's glare. "But if we all are really connected, then there's no way that _I'd_ make you choose between any of us. But if you want to then I won't… I won't stop you. I won't like it but I give you my word that I won't stop you."

"Ced," she whispered his name in a way that he hadn't heard for almost two month. Which caused him to hold her even tighter.

"I suppose." Cormac looked directly to her. "Since your my soulmate. I mean _our_ soulmate, I would much rather try with the two of you than just hope that you'd choose me." His eyes softened. "I'd much rather have you happy than be a selfish arse about the subject."

"What?" Akane couldn't grasp what they were saying.

"In short," Cormac cleared his throat. "We both want to be with you. At the same time."

"So polygamy?" Akane stated deadpanned.

"Um, Love. When you put it like that," Cormac was slightly awkward.

"Sorry," Akane couldn't help but tease slightly. "Blaise was right, I am collecting a harem of handsome men." She looked down with a little mirth. Trying to shake off the exhaustion but it wasn't working perfectly.

"Right, I almost forgot about that sodding-" Cormac was stopped by Cedric's glare once more. "Sorry."

"But he's right, we need to talk to Zabini about this." Cedric agreed about his latest ally/enemy/turned ally again. "But I have a feeling he wouldn't do well if we corner him."

"I'll talk to him," Akane said. "I'll be the only one _to_ talk to him."

"Love?" Cormac was missing something.

"Blaise seems to forget sometimes that I was sorted into Slytherin for a reason. I don't think he knows that I know about a few of his issues."

"Like?" Cedric wanted to know what they'd been speaking about.

"For only his mouth to speak and my ears to hear," she smiled somewhat sadly knowing how confused Blaise must be at the moment.

"Someday's I forget that you're even in that house." Cedric rolled his eyes.

"Believe me, she's more Slytherin than you think." Cormac joked.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

* * *

The next day was Sunday, which meant that it was uneventful. Save many of the older students recovering from nasty hangovers and taking the walk of shame or in some cases, strides of glory.

Monday revealed itself all too fast, and Akane still didn't find Blaise. He was avoiding her like the plague, and she knew it. But she couldn't just ask about his whereabout to her housemates, she didn't want to make it any more trouble for him. Because she knew by the sneers her fellow Slytherin's gave her that she wasn't really welcomed into their house. Last thing she needed was Blaise to be shunned as well, unlike Daphne, he would care.

Seeing as they shared herbology together, Akane waited until she saw Blaise enter the room before her own entrance which almost costed her detention for being late. Before she could take the seat next to him, Malfoy and Theodore flanked his sides. Her first plan was a no go, but she was even more upset at the bags under his eyes.

"Goodmorning class," Sprout cheerily greeted. "Today we have a new student. Um, Ms. Mikoshiba could you please take a seat? Yes, as I was saying we have a new student. His name is Tomoda Katsushi, please don't be shy-" Sprout ushered Akane's worst nightmare into the class.

Tomoda was anything but shy, he was one of the most confident people she knew but the calculated kind. By his tie, he was a Ravenclaw meaning she didn't have to see him more than necessary but still. It was Tomoda. Her first boyfriend who left her for another, she was almost positive he cheated on her as well but for publicity purposes he left her before he got with the other girl.

"Hello," Tomoda made eye contact with her and one sly wink later. "My name is Tomoda Katsushi. It is nice to meet you all."

"Good, now let's see." Sprout saw that the only opening was next to Akane. _No._ She began to panic. "Why don't you go sit next to Akane? She's a good student, she'll show you the way it's done here."

"Thank you Madam," Tomoda nodded his head in thankfulness then proceeded to walk towards her without a fault in his stride. _No._ As he set his books down onto the left side of her, she felt panic set in. Akane left because of him, she was dishonored because of him. He made her feel like she wasn't even worth a knut she was minted on. _This can't be happening._

"It's been awhile tenshi," he used that endearment as if it would work on her again. She didn't even bother to respond as he scooted his chair a centimeter closer to her own. "I've missed you, I thought you'd come back after a month. But since you didn't, I came to you. Have you missed me?"

"Kesshite." She told him indefinitely, _Never again would she ever miss the likes of him._

"Why are you so cold to me, tenshi?" He lifted his chair to disguise his whisper in her ears which drove her insane, ready to really plot some murder. But she didn't. For the sake of Blaise, Cedric, and Cormac she wouldn't. "You should really relax, it's no good for you to be this stiff."

"Urusai," she whispered to him.

"So cold," he chuckled lightly which didn't go unnoticed.

"Is something the matter Mr. Katsushi?" Sprout asked.

"Nothing," he waved off. "I was just reminiscing with Akane here, we used to go to the same school." She glared at him subtly not wanting to draw more attention.

"Well that's nice, but you're in my class so I need you to pay attention. I'll let you off with a warning since this is your first day, but next time it'll be detention." She warned.

"I understand Madam Sprout," he brushed his hand against her's knowing that she wouldn't do anything _yet._

"Good now," Sprout continued her lesson.

Then she smelled it.

It was green, airy, and light. Everything associated with the quidditch pitch. She couldn't handle it. Not this new bit of information. It was too much, it could've been anyone but Katsushi and she would've been fine. Anyone. Even Pucey and his obsession with quidditch, how she wished it'd be Adrian at the moment.

No.

It couldn't be him.

No.

She wouldn't let it be him.

But yes.

It could only be him.

Akane wasn't a fainter, she didn't fancy being considered weak. If it was her choice to not ever faint, she wouldn't but that time with Padma didn't give her that option. This one though, this one she didn't mind as much. Hopefully she'd wake up and this'd be a nasty dream. The last scene she saw was Tomoda hovering over her with a concerned look that she'd never seen on his face before and Blaise shoving him away, brutishly, and she felt arms underneath her.


	41. Chapter 41: Blaise in Denial

_Un-bloody-believable._

Blaise _swore_ he didn't eat or drink anything. It wasn't like he _would have_ anyways.

 _Fucking hell._

So why did he act like _that?_

He essentially dug himself a hole that there was no way getting out of. Any ladder that had been thrown down to assist him broke on his climb up as he approached Akane and revealed the fact that _maybe_ he liked her more than he was letting on.

 _Murder me!_

Not only did he join the harem, he also made a bloody fool of himself. Diggory and McLaggen at least had _reasons_ to crowd around Akane, but him? Blaise was just an arse that got caught up in far too much of the girl's business.

He deserted the scene as fast as he could, freaking out on the inside. On his way out of the Great Hall, he ran into a somber Pansy and a clueless Pucey, and the two followed him back to the common room.

"Of _course_ Brown has to pull a stunt like that," Pansy complained. "She ruined the bloody evening."

Pucey only stared off in the distant, rambling on about his broom.

"Cunt," Blaise cursed.

Pansy, of course, wheeled around to gape at him, but made no comment.

Denial was Blaise's friend. It helped him through the toughest of issues- lack of father figure, excessive vanity, etc.- and forced him to see the world in a different way. Not that he minded. He preferred standing by the sidelines and watching the world crumble around him. Facing the facts would only throw him into the fray.

That's exactly what the love potion did.

Daphne was already back from the celebration, looking troubled. She then explained how neither her nor Anthony smelled the other in the potion, and being bummed about this, they both left. The result wasn't much what she wanted, but she supposed she had to expect it. Blaise could sympathize.

He asked Daphne if she wanted to shag. She did.

He pretended that his heart didn't long for someone he barely started to like. He pretended that Akane didn't smell like that strange fruit that her lip balm tasted like. He pretended to not see her in his mind, her pretty smile and silky hair.

 _I don't love her,_ Blaise recited in his head like a mantra. _I don't love her._

And how could he? It hadn't even been a full month that they were speaking civilly to each other, but he- like so many others, apparently- had been captured by her unique essence.

To be found standing there with the dog and the heathen had only added salt to the wound. Any idea that Blaise had to imply his true feelings were shot down and tossed in the metaphorical garbage, leaving him looking and acting like the arse he was.

 _I don't love her._

It hurt, just a little.

* * *

Sunday was boring.

Blaise spent three-fourths of it laying in his bed, casting Silencing charm after Silencing charm in the direction of his horny friends. He only got up sometime around seven- in the evening- to return the costume to Pansy and grab a glass of water.

She insisted he keep the costume. He insisted he didn't want to. She took it.

That "Hawka" costume was just a reminder of the previous night's Halloween celebration, and the more he stared at it, the worse he felt.

Late at night, when Draco and Theo had gotten whatever it was out of their systems, he vented to them about what happened. They had used a rare Hangover charm to rid themselves of the pain, but their minds were still rather fuzzy and they probably won't remember a word Blaise said. It didn't matter, though.

"You can't stay in denial forever, Blaise," Theo had said, a little slow. "You have to do _something_ at some point." The Nott heir didn't sound as wise as he usually did, but the point was still made. "Denial hurts."

"Theo's right," Draco nodded. "You just gotta… uh, go up to her, and talk to her."

They were only stating the obvious, which Blaise didn't want to hear.

"I mean, I was in denial about Draco for a while," Theo continued. "Got to the point where I couldn't even look at him without wanting to say something."

Draco gave him a look. " _I_ said something first."

"Yeah, that was really reassuring."

Now they were being plain unhelpful. Seeing Blaise's deadpan, Draco tried again. "If you really wanna ignore her for a while, you can help me and Theo fix the Cabinet."

Desperate for some sort of distraction, Blaise agreed. That night, the three of them snuck out and tip-toed up several staircases, careful not to get caught. They managed to make it to the Room of Hidden Things in record time and immediately set to work, not a word said about Blaise's dilemma.

Part of him appreciated it, but the other yearned to spill.

He didn't spill.

Monday morning brought about the news that Marks and Borkan had found each other by accident, and the two teachers were now "a thing." Blaise supposed that was good, as now he wouldn't have to speak to Diggory unless forced to. The less contact he made with Akane and _those two,_ the better.

He could feel eyes on him, though. He hoped they belonged to his so-called fanclub and not the people he was determined to avoid.

Luckily, though, Draco and Theo had decided to act as bodyguards of some sort, and refused to leave his sides all day. This proved rather nice when they attended Herbology first thing and Akane was watching him with saddened eyes, like she wanted him to say something.

He wasn't going to. In fact, he pretended she wasn't there, sitting a few seats down from him, for the entire class period.

Or so he planned.

Sprout ushered in a new kid, Tomoda Katsushi. The newly-branded Ravenclaw wore a smart-aleck smirk and already posed a new threat, seeing as- _once again-_ an attractive foreigner was introduced to Hogwarts. Sprout sat him down next to Akane- _surprise, surprise-_ and Blaise watched as the guy started making moves on her.

Blaise forced himself not to dwell on it. Akane _wasn't_ making those wide eyes and Katsushi _wasn't_ whispering in her ear. Katsushi had a familiar name, but Blaise didn't care enough- _couldn't care enough_ \- to place it.

That is, until Akane dropped, having fainted once again. Blaise stood up and instinctively tore Katsushi away from her, giving the new male a hard glare. Luckily, Marcus Belby was sitting close enough to catch the girl. He and Padma hovered over the girl, concerned.

"Professor Sprout!" Sue Li alerted their teacher. "She's out cold."

Sprout sighed. "Alright, well. Belby, Patil, could you two take her to Pomfrey?"

The two Ravenclaws nodded and hoisted her up. Padma gathered Akane's things and the three students struggled out of the greenhouse, eager to get Akane some medical help.

"And you are?"

Blaise turned his glare back to Katsushi to find the smirk still glued on his face. The Ravenclaw watched him, mischief in his eyes, and held out a hand. Blaise didn't take it.

Seeing as the other wasn't going to respond, Katsushi introduced himself. "Katsushi Tomoda, seeker for the Tengus, new student of Hogwarts, and Akane's ex."

Of _fucking_ course.

"Blaise Zabini," Blaise replied, but he didn't offer much more than that. Katsushi gave him a calculative onceover.

"Do you like her?"

Blaise's brows furrowed, and his glare hardened. "No," he lied.

"Good," Katsushi declared. "I plan to win her back."

His mouth was moving before he could monitor the words coming out. "Good luck with that."

"Oh?" Katsushi asked.

"Girl's got a following," Blaise described, like he himself wasn't a part of it. "Two guys by the names of Cedric Diggory and Cormac McLaggen."

Katsushi hummed. Blaise got the impression that he was more Slytherin than Ravenclaw, but there was something he wasn't letting on. "Well, I suppose I'll have to take care of them, won't I?"

Blaise shrugged. If he was going to have more competition in this bizarre race, he might as well take advantage of the situation and set the new enemy on the others.

"Do you know them?" Katsushi inquired.

"Unfortunately," Blaise said, bitter.

Katsushi was quick. "Meet me outside the doors at lunch. I'd like to know about them." He spoke as if he were an assassin, preparing to take his target down, sly and smart. Blaise didn't trust him, but that didn't prevent him from using the new kid.

"Fine," Blaise agreed. Without another word, he returned to his own spot at the table. Draco gave him a questioning look. "It's fine."

Draco didn't seem convinced. "Are you sure?"

"I know what I'm doing."

* * *

Tomoda Katsushi was a reverse Akane. Blaise was bewildered that the two ever dated at all. Where Akane wore the Slytherin tie but consorted with the other houses, Tomoda- adorned in Ravenclaw blue- beelined for the table of green and silver.

Instead of talking outside like Blaise had _thought,_ Tomoda invited himself to the Slytherin table and sat directly in front of Blaise. To Tomoda's left sat an awed Pucey, who gazed up at the bloke like he was Merlin himself, and to Tomoda's right, Pansy. Draco and Theo still flanked Blaise's sides, which he was glad for.

Tomoda also blocked his view of a certain girl at the Gryffindor table. Apparently, she had woken up, and McLaggen and Diggory had taken to following her around like cronies, waiting on her every word.

Tomoda didn't bother with greetings; he dove right into it. "Tell me about them."

Blaise jerked his chin in the direction of the two brown-haired males. "The taller one is Diggory, the other is McLaggen."

"Diggory's a Hufflepuff with a heart of gold and eyes like the sun," Pansy piped in. Blaise scoffed. "He plays Seeker on the Hufflepuff team, and is also captain. McLaggen is… not as impressive. He's on the Gryffindor quidditch team, but I couldn't care enough to tell you which part."

"I'm a bit of a quidditch player myself," Tomoda replied. "I-"

"You can join our team," Pucey interjected, star-struck by the male next to him. "We've got an opening, since Harper sucks arse and Malfoy quit."

Tomoda smiled at Pucey, effectively turning Pucey into a babbling mess of a fanboy. "Alright. I think I'll do that."

Just like that, Tomoda and Blaise were abrupt allies. So far, the new bloke wasn't so bad, but Blaise supposed only time would tell. He wasn't as nosy as Akane was her first few weeks here; more observant, logical, and patient. Sort of like a more talkative Theo.

Blaise told Tomoda more of what he knew about the other suitors, with helpful interjections from a gossipy Pansy.

He described Diggory as he saw him: a dog. Loyal to his master (Akane) and pouty when he does something she doesn't like. Physically strong, but not overly confident in himself. He'd probably be easier to take down than McLaggen, as all it would take were a few rightly placed insults and a forced flashback to the tournament. When Tomoda asked, Blaise only said that "Diggory knows."

McLaggen was a heathen. McLaggen eats- and plays quidditch- like an animal. Apart from being somewhat good at potions, the guy's skills were hidden underneath the overwhelming lack of tact he possessed. Pansy pointed out that he'd take on a physical brawl if challenged. Tomoda took note of that, nodding along to everything they said.

Then Pansy took over, filling Tomoda in on everything that had happened between Akane and her two suitors. She told him about the "Cho Disaster" and the fight in the bathroom and the betting pools she had going. Tomoda told her to bet on him instead, as he was planning on winning her back and nothing was going to stop him. Pansy flashed a smile and told him she'd get right on that.

"What about you, Blaise?" Tomoda asked, after Pansy was done. "Why don't you like them?"

Blaise shrugged. "It's a vanity thing."

Only a partial truth, but Tomoda bought it with a satisfied nod.

Blaise recognized his dick-move. McLaggen and Diggory were probably over there, willing to cooperate with the unlikely situation, eager to please Akane. But they were a Hufflepuff and a Gryffindor, respectively, and were instilled with the attribute of loyalty.

Blaise was neither a Hufflepuff nor a Gryffindor. No, Blaise was a Slytherin, and if this was what reality had thrown his way, he certainly intended to act like one.


	42. Chapter 42: Confrontation

"I'm fine," Cedric hovered over her still, then she repeated. "I'm fine, Cedric. It was just an accident, you know things like that happen." She tried to calm him down.

From what she understood Padma and Belby helped her to the hospital wing, but they couldn't stay long seeing as their next class was ancient ruins and neither were proficient enough to skip it. She woke up to Madam Pomfrey's administrations, trying to determine why she fainted and what was the cause. Clearly, it couldn't be because of any of the plants due to Padma's clear explanation of the harmless foliage.

Pomfrey had multiple potions going through her systems, allergies weren't the cause, nothing else either. As Pomfrey was ready to take out another round of potions and spells, Akane quickly said that she was very stressed lately that it was nothing to be worried about. To which Pomfrey frowned at her and sent her away with a few dreamless sleep potions, hoping to avoid another incident like this.

"Akane," Cedric wasn't buying it. "Fainting isn't something that's normal."

"He's right, Love. It isn't." Cormac was watching her intently.

"I'm fine," she brushed off again but then took out a vial. "Pomfrey gave me a few to help me sleep, it's stress that's all." She looked at Ginny who was watching like a hawk and hoping that she'd pick up the signal.

As the redhead stood up, Akane waited for her to speak. "Akane could you help me with something real quick?"

"Sure," She stood up but before the other two could Ginny spoke.

"It's girl things, Diggory, McLaggen. Don't think I want you around for this stuff." Wisely neither of them were about to move, knowing that girl things usually meant that there'd be a nice jinx waiting it you didn't co-operate.

The duo made it out of the hall, Akane was speedier than usual.

"What do you want to do?" Ginny asked as they left her harem of pretty boys.

"There's a prefects bathroom where we can lounge and I'll can tell you what's been going on," she said knowing that it wouldn't be long for Ginny to ask.

"Accio swimsuits?" Ginny asked, and with a nod the students of Hogwarts were bewildered by the zooming swimwear.

One mermaid later, Ginny was beckoning for Akane to start.

"Well, you know the potion Brown put in the bowls right?"

"Of course, that bint. But I ought to thank her," Ginny sighed dreamily but then snapped up. "You were saying?"

"Well, soul mates and Amorentia. Long story short, I have four soulmates-"

"Blistering hell, that's a lot of shagging-"

"Ginny!" Akane was blushing. "It's not a joyride!"

"It sure sounds like one, McLaggen and Diggory are clearly on that list. Who else?"

"I… I'm not sure if he wants me. After all, he's not the type to be alright with a multi-person relationship." Akane leaned on the edge. "Then the fourth one, I don't ever want him. That _teme_ can _kuso kurae_."

"Kusa what?"

"He can eat shit for all I care," Akane translated.

"Who is it? Come on, tell Gin."

"I don't want to say anything because I'm unsure if it is him… After all it could be someone else, maybe the potions wrong or something."

"It can't be wrong, Ake." Ginny pointed out. "That's the reason it's still used today."

"Katsushi."

"Tomoda Katsushi?" It dawned on her. "That… What's the word you say in Japanese?"

"Teme. Baka. Kuso." Akane offered.

"Whichever is the most offensive. I can't wait to tell Hermione about this, she'd have a field day making spells that'd-"

"Ginny," Akane stopped her more revengeful friend. "Don't please."

"Why? Doesn't he deserve it?"

"He does but… What about Cormac or Cedric or even B-" She stopped herself right there. "I don't want them to get in trouble because of my past. That's the last thing I need."

"Blimey, I knew you were snake with the least amount of Slytherin in you. But still! Even Diggory wouldn't mind much, and I'm sure McLaggen would gladly-"

"That's the point Gin. They're more than willing to feed my ex to a dragons in Romania if they were given the opportunity. If I start with spells and hexes then they'll take it as it's okay for them to do the same. Knowing them they wouldn't let him see the light again."

"That's a one way trip to Azkaban," Ginny sighed. Understanding to an extent of why she wasn't willing to do a thing.

As Akane continued to tell her tale or rant her frustrations about soulmate number three and Katsushi, Ginny couldn't help but think at how unlucky she simply was. She herself, was on the simpler side. She and Neville were the only two in their relationship, making it easy and much less iffy on a lot of things. Their dynamic would work like a regular relationship. Akane's wouldn't. Ginny knew that the two boys weren't keen on sharing but surprisingly put their wants aside, yet they had to deal with two more males. It even made Ginny wonder if Akane will ever have her own time?

"What will you do?" Ginny looked at her friend.

"I don't know Gin," Akane let out a frustrated groan. "I don't know." To which Ginny only hummed in agreement. Not really helping much like Daphne or Blaise would, but still Akane was grateful she'd listen to her.

Eventually they had to leave the beautiful baths, because that day it was only Monday. Meaning they'd have classes the next day and if Ginny was anything like Akane, she'd have nothing to worry about but she wasn't.

As the duo said their goodbyes Akane saw a familiar figure in the halls. _Blaise._ She thought as she was already speed walking towards him almost at a jog, not wanting to miss an opportunity to talk to him.

As she was about to touch his shoulder an unpleasant voice came out of seemingly nowhere. "Tenshi."

Then Blaise turned around only slightly surprised to see her, while she didn't even want to turn and see her ex. That was until he touched her shoulder that her reflexes kicked in but she didn't hit anything but air. Glaring at Katsushi, all she wanted to do was take Blaise somewhere to talk but clearly that wouldn't happen.

"Zabini," Katsushi greeted to the Italian behind herself. Freezing slightly, that these two knew each other and seeing Blaise nod at Katsushi this could mean that they were on good terms. "What're you doing around Tenshi?"

"She came up to me," Blaise stated, nonchalant.

"Tenshi going up to guys?" Katsushi looked at her with a raised brow. "That's rather bold of you."

Choosing to ignore him, she turned to Blaise hoping that he would for once just speak to her without any other distractions.

Blaise snickered at Katsushi's remark, ignoring her eyes.

"Tenshi," Katsushi got closer again to which she moved away but only to slightly bump into the wall. _Damn._ "Come on, I only wanna talk."

"Urusai teme," Akane spat at her ex.

"Why are you always so cold?" Katsushi continued.

"Why are you always such a pig?" She shot back.

"Maybe it's because," he then invaded her personal space by whispering. "You wouldn't let me even touch you when we were dating. I can't imagine that you've changed much."

Shoving him away didn't work all too well seeing as he was firmly rooted to the ground she evaded to the side. Thankful that he hadn't caught her arm like he always does. Rushing from the closed space into a more open area, knowing she had a less chance of being cornered like _that_ again, she momentarily noticed that Blaise was still observing.

"Unless you're a total yariman now," Katsushi was now leaning against the wall she was once cornered at.

"Kesshite." She spat with venom seeping. "I'm not like you who sleeps with everything with legs."

"I do have standards you know, I dated you for a few years."

"As do I. And perhaps there was a reason we never did anything more," Akane sneered.

"Hn," he gave a smirk then saw Blaise. "What're you still doing here?"

Blaise shrugged. "Nothing else to do."

"We're in a talk right now, Zabini. I'd appreciate it if-"

"We are not." Akane interrupted with steely eyes. "There is no 'we' in anything anymore."

"She's being stubborn so I'd appreciate it if you'd leave for a bit." Katsushi looked back at her.

The Slytherin male glanced between the two. "Sorry, Katsushi, but I don't trust you."

Scowling slightly at the other male, "Then what the hell are you doing here in general? You even said so yourself that you don't like her." Which caused Akane's eyes to widen flickering with emotions.

"Whatever. You wanted help, so I helped," Blaise replied coldly. "I'll leave."

Before Akane could even debate on trying to catch up with him, she'd have to dodge Katsushi first. After ten minutes of evading and running, she finally thought she was safe in her own common room. Only to meet a depressed looking Daphne sitting on the couches.

Unsure if she was emotionally stable enough to try and comfort the girl, she tried anyways.

"Hey." Akane sat next to her blonde friend.

"Hello, Akane," Daphne greeted her solemnly.

"Would you like to tell me what's going on?"

She shrugged. "I'm just a bit bummed, that's all."

"About what?" Akane then pulled a Daphne on her. "I've got a few friend, and they say that I'm one hell of a listener."

"Well, I drank some of Brown's potion- I think we all did," Daphne started. "And Anthony's not my soulmate. I suppose I'm not surprised, but…"

"He's not your soulmate?" Akane offered.

"No," Daphne shook her head. "A fun fling, but nothing more than that, apparently."

"Did he say that or are saying that?"

Daphne sighed. "I am. I thought it was implied."

"I thought you two were going strong?"

"I thought so too. But I suppose… not anymore."

"Is it because of the potion or something else?"

The blond was quiet for a moment. "Little bit of both, I think. The potion made me realize that though Anthony and I were good together, we weren't perfect. We had a lot of ups and downs." A pause. "Plus, I, um… shagged someone else that night."

"Perfect isn't something to strive for all the time, Daph. But really? You shagged someone else last night?" Akane was surprised that her quiet friend did something like that.

"You're right, I know, but… Anthony just seemed so sad, and…" She trailed off. "I-I did."

"But that doesn't mean you have to be with that soulmate you know. It's an option."

" _That_ soulmate?" Daphne asked. "I only have one, Akane."

"Right… Still it is an option not an obligation."

"That's true," Daphne said.

"Why don't you talk to him about it, see what he thinks instead of making the choice all by yourself?" Akane suggested.

Daphne nodded slowly. "Perhaps."

"That's not a yes." She replied deadpanned.

"I just don't want to do something I regret."

"But isn't the biggest regret for most people, isn't saying something at all?"

Daphne shrugged, still put-out.

"Jeez, what do I have to do? Shove you both into the broom closet?" Akane joked.

"No, not quite," Daphne laughed.

"Then what can I do?" Akane then offered. "I'm sure Ginny or Hannah wouldn't mind helping."

"Help me with what? Finding my true soulmate?"

"Whichever makes you happiest, _after_ you talk to Anthony."

Daphne offered a small smile. "Alright, then. I suppose I will."

"Better, now let's get to bed. From what I've heard Slughorn wants us to start a brewing marathon tomorrow." Akane frowned.

"Merlin, that sounds horrible."

"No kidding."


	43. Chapter 43: Rude's my middle name

He had misjudged Tomoda.

Not only was he incredibly distrustful, there was something about him that screamed _wrong._ No wonder Akane had looked so perturbed; the guy was a demon.

"I apologize for my behaviour yesterday," Katsushi said, at breakfast the next day. He offered a forced smile and sat down at the Slytherin table as though he belonged. "I tend to get a little… _possessive_ over Tenshi."

Blaise scoffed. _Understatement of the century._

"I hope you understand."

If Blaise was going to successfully use Katsushi to scare off the other two _or_ convince Akane he wasn't interested, he'd have to prove to the foreigner that he was an ally. "Yeah, I do."

"Good," Katsushi gave a nod. "She's very important to me."

"I can tell."

The Ravenclaw turned and gazed over his shoulder, eyes narrowing in on Akane as she sat down at the Gryffindor table next to Weaslette and the Potty Crew. Blaise forced his gaze away. _She doesn't matter, she doesn't matter, she doesn't matter…_

"Why is she over there?"

Right on time, Pansy Parkinson made her appearance and slid onto the bench next to Blaise. "She likes to mingle with the wrong sort," Pansy explained. "Honestly, I think she was placed in the wrong house."

Katsushi shook his head. "Oh, no. No, Tenshi belongs in Slytherin. She just likes to think she belongs anywhere else."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Pansy asked. The girl was digging for gossip; it was her very own drug.

"Did Tenshi ever tell you _why_ she came here?"

Both Pansy and Blaise shook their heads, although one moved at a much faster speed than the other.

"Well." Katsushi grinned manically. "Mahoutokoro has some very strict rules about dark magic, and Tenshi broke them." His eyes remained glued to the girl's form. "She may seem kind and caring, but deep down inside, she's just as morally corrupt as anyone else."

Pansy gripped the table, teeth bared in a ferocious grin. "Re _ally?_ You don't say!"

"Mhmm," Katsushi nodded, returning the expression. "She's dangerous to herself and to others. I simply want to protect her."

"How chivalrous," Pansy noted.

"I can only try," Katsushi sighed whimsically.

Cue the Disastrous Duo- new nickname, no copyrights nor trademarks. They trudged into the Great Hall and down the side aisle, leaning towards the wall like it was life support. Instead of sitting down, though, they hovered behind Blaise, waiting for him to turn around.

"Blaise," Draco stated. Blaise shifted in his seat so he could see them. "Could we talk for a moment?"

"Oh, hello," Katsushi interrupted. "I don't believe we've met."

Eyes heavy, both Draco and Theo looked at the newcomer, stoic. Draco spoke, "And I don't care. Blaise."

"Rude," Katsushi remarked jokingly, and Pansy offered a dying laugh. She had been acting differently around the two, so it was no surprise she didn't respond like her usual self.

"Again, don't care. _Rude_ is actually my middle name," Draco spat.

Katsushi hummed. "Is it really?"

"No, it's Lucius." Draco's voice was heavy with sarcasm. " _Blaise."_

Blaise stood up and stepped away from the bench.

"Leaving so soon?" Katsushi teased.

Only a few sentences in and Draco was seething. " _You_ are annoying. Learn how to shut your sodding trap."

Frowning, Katsushi turned to Pansy and lowered his voice. "He isn't very nice, is he?"

They had started walking, but Draco whirled around and slammed his palms on the table, shaking the dishes and startling several students around him. " _Leave."_

"Pansy-"

"Pansy's coming with _us."_ Draco directed his glare at the girl. "Aren't you?"

Once again, her strange subdued personality shined through, and she stood up with a harrumph. "Yes, I'm coming." The four Snakes walked away, abandoning the Ravenclaw and leaving him alone at the table.

They didn't speak as Draco led them outside and around the corner, away from prying eyes. Crossing his arms, he announced, "I'm going to Hogsmeade this weekend."

A beat.

"Did you fix the Cabinet?" Blaise asked.  
"Not yet," Draco said. "No, we decided to attempt the backup plan. I'll deliver the necklace, and Theo will continue to work on the Cabinet."

Pansy bit her lip. "A necklace?"

"Yes. I need to give it to Madam Rosmerta."

He was being incredibly vague, but Pansy didn't pry. For once, Blaise thought that Pansy actually _understood_.

"I can do that," she offered.

Draco was surprised by this turn of events. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I mean," Pansy shrugged. "I've just got to give it to Rosmerta, right? That doesn't sound too difficult."

"You can't touch it," Theo added. "It's cursed."

"And Rosmerta's under a spell," Draco continued. "So you'll have to let her know it's from me."

"Alright, yeah."

Draco didn't believe her. He watched her shift with heavy skepticism. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you offering to help? It's very… un-Pansy-like."

"It's unnerving," Theo corrected.

Pansy glanced over the two of them, eyes lingering on their matching set of dark eyes and accompanying bags. "I…"

"Don't question help when it's offered," Blaise stated. "She's not even asking what it's for."

"I have a guess," Pansy said.

Blaise raised a brow.

"I… saw some things."

Mystery solved. Blaise wasn't sure _what_ she saw, but judging from the heavy sympathy in her body language and the pity in her eyes, he'd put some money on it being the irremovable stain on Draco's arm.

Nodding, Blaise didn't ask further.

"Well, thank you, I suppose," Draco said, voice slightly clipped. He was tense. "I'll give it to you on Saturday."

"Of course."

A pause.

"I don't like him," Draco blurted, then gestured in the direction of the Great Hall. "That new Ravenclaw. He's like New Girl, but worse."

"He's her ex," Blaise supplied. He couldn't fully agree with Draco's statement, because Akane was significantly better than she was at the beginning of the year. _But of course you'd say that,_ that little voice insisted. _You have to._

Pansy scoffed. "She _sure_ knows how to pick 'em."

"Yeah," Blaise said, dry.

* * *

Draco's soured attitude towards Katsushi was largely battled by Pucey's incessant praise, which most everyone got to hear during Slughorn's potion-brewing marathon with the Gryffindors.

"He's one of the best Seekers in the world!" Pucey beamed accidentally sprinkling in too much baneberry. "He's won the Tengu at _least_ twenty games with how fast he's caught the snitch!"

"Yes, yes, Mr. Pucey," Slughorn chastised. "Mr. Katsushi is an excellent quidditch player. But perhaps it's because of distractions such as these that you are repeating your sixth year of potions."

Pucey's beam faltered and he grumbled, "Well thanks for the vote of confidence, Professor."

Draco snickered. He and Theo stood at the table behind Blaise and the quidditch enthusiast, both doing rather well with their own potions. Blaise, however, stood in the blast zone, and was ready to dodge at any given moment.

He stood in the second to last row of the room, and despite the fact that Akane stood towards the front in the opposite corner with Granger, he could _still_ feel her eyes on him. She kept glancing back every other moment like she was still checking that he was there.

"I can't wait for Quidditch on Saturday," Pucey continued to ramble. It only took him a moment to gather himself back together after Slughorn's callout. "Katsushi better win us this game."

"He's a real stellar player," Blaise responded sarcastically.

Pucey didn't catch it. "He _is,_ though! He's such a role model of mine! You know, Zabini, if Katsushi asked, I'd consider marrying the dude."

"That's bold," Blaise said.

"Pucey, I don't think you'd _want_ to. The guy is a real piece of work," Draco drawled, paused, then added: "But then again, so are you."

In his excited haste, Pucey dumped half the jar of poison ivy into his cauldron and his potion boiled a vibrant red.

"Dammit, Pucey."

"Shite, I goofed-"

"No kidding," Blaise deadpanned.

Pucey was at a loss. He watched his potion with bated breath, waiting for it to explode.

Blaise, however, was not going to stand around. "I'm getting more ivy."

Nodding, Pucey continued to stare at the mess he made. Slughorn hobbled over right as Blaise walked away, interrogating Pucey on what he did wrong.

He planned to refill their jar of ivy rather slowly to avoid any possible repercussions that Pucey's potion had caused, but it seemed taking his sweet time had a consequence of his own.

A familiar voice piped up from beside him. "Blaise?"

 _Fuck._ Blaise spared Akane a brief glance. "Yo."

"What-How. How are you doing?"

Her anxiety caught him off guard, but he pretended not to notice. "I'm fine. You?"

"Just you know," she shrugged with a false smile. "Katsushi's been at the table pretty often… You friends?"

"Allies," Blaise corrected. "Somewhat."

"Alright." She tapped her jar slightly while biting her lip, "I can't imagine what he's said about me. But… Just don't believe every word he says."

Blaise hummed. "So, you _didn't_ break any rules at your old school?"

She stared at him for a good moment, "I did."

"Cool," Blaise said. "Not that I care, or anything."

Then she looked at him in a way she just knew that he was lying.

"Don't look at me like that, princess," Blaise drawled. "I know what you're thinking, but lying's a two-way street."

She shook her head slightly so that it wouldn't draw too much attention, "if you want to know the truth. Then why don't you ask?"

"Like I just said, it's a two-way street. If I poke at your business, you're gonna poke right back," Blaise reasoned. He wanted to fill the jar as quickly as he possibly could, but that was rather hard to do when he _couldn't find the sodding source._

"It's on the upper left," she claimed as she went to the lower left to grab hellebore. "And I never said that I would poke." With that she left for her table.

Blaise took a deep breath. Leave it to the middle of potions for her to say some stuff and set him off in a pissy mood, yet again. He filled the jar and swaggered back to Pucey, ignoring the sound of her voice as she spoke to Granger.

Akane this, Akane that. It had been that way since the beginning of the year, and with each passing week, things only seemed to progress at an alarming rate- both good and bad. Thank Merlin he had agreed to help Draco with his task, because for fuck's sake, Blaise just wanted a break.


	44. Chapter 44: Three D's of Apparition

After the disheartening class she made sure to leave him alone for a bit. Knowing that he's the type of person who prefers to not let anyone know their problems, and by anyone she really meant anyone. As Akane walked towards apparition, she couldn't help but think of what Katsushi might've said about her.

Tomoda Katsushi knew too much about her. Her past and herself. It was alarming that he had been spending much of his time around the Slytherin table, specifically Blaise, Adrian, and Parkinson. She wondered what he said to make their heads turn in favor of him, not that they liked her but still. Akane knew that if she didn't find out his real motives, she wouldn't be able to stay in her new home.

As she entered the room, she stood a fair distance away from Blaise, knowing that he wouldn't appreciate her being near him at the moment. Seeing as Padma had already taken a seat next to another Ravenclaw girl, Akane looked for Daphne hoping that no one would sit next to her otherwise she just might get detention for hexing Katsushi.

"Daph," Akane pulled the seat and plopped herself down without warning. "How was your talk?"

"Hey Akane," Daphne greeted.

"Hey Daph, now anyways as I was saying. How was your talk?" Akane continued to guide the subjects, seeing Katsushi's familiar bookbag on her immediate left.

"It hasn't happened yet," Daphne said, glancing over at Anthony across the room.

"Why?" Akane wondered.

Daphne sighed. "Anthony's what Tracey calls 'the sad musician' type. He prefers to brood in his emotions for a bit before doing anything about them."

"And you're supposed to wait until he finishes? Daph, don't you want answers?"

"I do, but… not yet."

Akane looked at her, her whole body facing the blond. "Because of your sake or his?"

"Both," Daphne replied.

"Well… Just try not to wait for too long." Akane hoped she gave out decent advice. "It would be better for the both of you, perhaps… Maybe? I'm not sure. I don't know your dynamic but-" She rambled.

"Akane," Daphne stopped her and offered a light laugh. "Thanks, but I think I'm going to wait this one out. What about you, though?"

"What about me?" Akane tried to move the subject. "We share all the same core classes," she laughed lightly.

"Did you find out who your soulmate was?"

"Soulmate? I didn't really have a good taste of that potion, besides I wouldn't trust Brown's potion skills as far as I can throw here… Which I actually want to try sometime." She did a funny gesture as if contemplating something.

"You make a very good point," Daphne agreed, amused. "Brown _is_ rather awful at potions."

"Right, unless she got Parvati Patil to do it for her, but I'm not sure if Parvati inherited Padma's skills in academics."

"I doubt it. Padma isn't fourth in the school for nothing."

"Right," Akane nodded overhearing Katsushi say something. She masked the urge to hit him on the forehead with her special quill, but then she'd be worried about not writing to her mystery friend then.

Daphne seemed to catch on. "I'm not too impressed with him, just so you know."

She gave Daphne a defeated smile, "I can't imagine being impressed with him. After everything he's done, his only real talent is the ability to lie like a teme he is."

"If it makes any difference, Pansy isn't too fond of him either."

"What he do? Reject her offer?" Akane furrowed her brows. Pansy was the type to approach anyone new for the sake of of some new gossip.

"No, he pissed off Draco."

"But when is that _not_ a rare occurrence?"

Laughing, Daphne replied, "True. I don't know, though, Pansy's been acting weird."

"I wouldn't know, I barely know her." Akane frowned, wondering what had changed but it wasn't that she needed to know.

"Right," Daphne shrugged. "You aren't missing much."

"So-" Before Akane could finish Twycross spoke.

"Katsushi!" Twycross called out, "What are the three D's of this class?"

"I don't know," Katsushi opened his book quickly. "Destination-"

"Greengrass what are they?" The old coot continued on, thoroughly making a fool out of anyone who didn't know the immediate answer.

"Destination, determination, and deliberation." Daphne replied without missing a beat.

"Good. Mikoshiba, why is is to important to remember these three things?" He demanded.

"In order to avoid injuries or fatalities."

"Good, now today we'll be working on small scale apparitions." He spun around and then appeared next to Anthony. "If you don't do it right, then keep trying till you do. Otherwise you'll never get it done right. Begin."

"Is that it?" Akane whispered to Daphne.

"I suppose," Daphne said, standing up.

"And if someone hurts themselves what then? No further instruction was given," Akane followed Daphne's movements.

"I think 'be careful' is implied," Daphne responded. "There was an incident last year, so I am surprised Twycross didn't say much more."

"Bloody hell," Akane watched as a few of her daring classmates dove right into apparition. Some came back on top of tables, others were falling to the ground, given it was only a few feet above air but still. Waiting for Daphne to see what or how she would do this was something Akane considered a smart idea, that was until she landed right on top of Anthony.

"Tenshi?" Katsushi called out. "What do I do?"

"Like I would know," she then tried her hand at transportation. Anything was better than being next to him. One swift move later and she was not happy with where she landed. Not even the slightest bit. She was thinking of landing somewhere near the teacher's table or anywhere away from Katsushi. To her surprise it worked, but then he landed right on top of her.

"Get off," her face smushed against the floor.

"Sorry," he stood up and offered her a hand.

Ignoring the gesture she tried again this time apparating right in front of Pansy Parkinson who was still busy trying to steady herself.

"What're you doing here?" Pansy swayed.

"Apparating." Akane spoke as she took a step back, as she did she heard a nasty sound.

"Blistering hell!" Akane looked to see Malfoy's upper arm, splinched. "Shite, what the fucking hell did I do wrong?"

Blood happened to be spilling off to the sides as Malfoy continued to panic while Twycross didn't look the least bit disturbed.

"Drake!" Pansy harpied as she fumbled over to where he stood.

Soon enough, Blaise and Theodore were carrying the blood covered young man out much to his distaste, to the hospital wing.

"But I hate the hospital!" Is what one could hear down the hallways as Malfoy continued to complain.

The rest of the class stopped attempting to apparate and Twycross wasn't happy with that at all. He demanded that everyone carry on, that this was something to be expected when one learns to travel without walking. Yet, clearly no one was willing to get splinched like their fellow classmates.

"Fine," Twycross scowled. "I want an essay on how to avoid being splinched. Maybe by then you'll all learn what to do instead of what not to do. Dismissed."

The class flooded out, Daphne went to see Malfoy and as much as Akane respected Daphne she couldn't bring herself to see that prat. They weren't on the best of terms so she'd rather not agitate their somewhat decent relationship any further.

As Akane entered the quidditch pitch with her practice gear on, she watched as Cedric continuously chase after the snitch. Everytime he did he would look at it then release the ball once more. She wasn't sure how long he'd been going at this but she realised that he had yet to stop and it'd been over an hour. Their official practice wouldn't start for another thirty minutes so she flew up to his line of sight.

"Hey Akane," he was breathing rather heavily.

"Ced," she greeted back. "How are you doing?"

His face showed it all. He wasn't doing anything remotely fine, his time to catch the snitch would always be overshadowed by the professional. And now that he would be playing against the professional he had to up his game. But realistically he knew, he couldn't match Katsushi's speed no matter what he did.

"Ced?" Akane then thought of a plan. "What if we trade spots?"

"What?"

"We'll trade spots, you'll play chaser and I'll be the seeker. Only for the game with Slytherin if you want?" Akane unknowingly hit a sore spot on his pride.

"No. I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

"I am, I just need to practice more that's all." He continued to deny.

"Are you sure? You've been up here for a while already."

"I am, believe me."

"I would but you're not telling the truth," she clicked her tongue. "How about this. Whomever gets the snitch first they'll decide what to do."

"Fine," he was determined not to lose.

"Good." The match was short. Too short for Cedric's taste especially considering that he lost. He simply didn't know what'd been wrong. After his awakening he just wasn't as good as he used to be. Cedric was hoping that it was just something that he could shake off and that his skills would return but clearly they were one-fourth of the season in and nothing had changed.

"Now are you gonna talk?" Akane held the ball in her palm while standing across from him on solid ground.

"I just…" He had to think about the better of his team of his house if they wanted to win the house cup this year. "You should probably be the seeker from here on out." He visibly deflated.

"What?" Akane panicked. "No I only meant for the games with Slytherin-"

"But don't you see? I haven't caught that bloody little shite at all this season!"

"Ced…"

"No, Akane. It's more than just a… a fluke. For some reason I'm not as good as I used to be, and if you don't take seeker now then our chances of losing are higher. You're a brilliant chaser but you're a better seeker. Even Potter had a tough time keeping up with you that one time."

"You remembered?"

"How could I not? You said that you wouldn't take the position from me, but it's not taking it if I'm offering it to you." Cedric ruffled his already messy hair. "I'll be fine I swear, Akane. I'd much rather play as something else than to lose overall."

"Then Hannah's gonna kill me," Akane tried to lighten the intense mood. "We used to be a tag team duo, she'll be rather angry but she'll get over it."

"I suppose she'll have to."

Akane still sensing discontent within the young man and did something new. Walking up to the sweat covered sir, she decided to give him a chaste kiss on the lips. Feeling a small smile, her plan had worked.

"Better?"

"You have no idea how long I've waited for that." Cedric was about to pull her closer only to be interrupted by Zacharias Smith.

Needless to say, Cedric was a good chaser. Shooting quaffles past Zach with every shot he got.


	45. Chapter 45: Glamour Charm

Dragging Draco to the infirmary proved a difficult task.

He writhed in their grips, struggling to pull away, but his rapid movements only caused the blood to flow faster. "Get _off-"_

"Drake, you're bleeding," Blaise stated the obvious.

" _I can't-_ let go! Merlin, Blaise-"

Theo tugged him along too, matching Blaise's eager pace. "You've been splinched."

"You think I don't bloody well know that?" Draco snapped, still tugging. He managed to grip his wand in his left hand and starting waving it around, causing random benches to lift into the air and tapestries to turn the wrong color. "No, fuck's sake, let _me go!"_

Neither Blaise nor Theo let go.

Exasperated, Draco gave a final tug and accidentally cracked a joint. "Merlin- _dammit-_ I'm trying to _hide something,_ you bloody dolts!"

They stopped, and recognition dawned on Theo's face.

Blaise only scoffed. "Yeah, Drake, _I know._ But unless Theo here's got a degree in healing, neither of us can help you. Pomfrey can."

"I'm real good at Glamour charms," Theo added.

Draco groaned. "Take me to the common room."

"We're not taking you to the sodding common room." Blaise readjusted his hold on Draco and started walking, forcing Theo to do the same.

"But she'll see-"

"Glamour charm," Theo interrupted.

"That won't-"

" _Glamour charm."_

Draco growled. "Then sit me _the fuck down_ and cast a bloody glamour charm, will you?"

The two found a bench and helped the blond sit down, wary of his bleeding abdomen. From what it appeared, Draco's wound wasn't too bad- just a large scrape across his stomach. The continuous blood flow, however, waved a red flag, and Blaise urged Theo to hurry up.

Theo cast a quick charm, but the Dark Mark didn't disappear. Confused, he tried again, but the stain remained. Draco's distress only grew.

"Fucking hell- Theo, cast another one-"

There were only _so many_ glamour charms, but words spilled out of Theo's mouth one after another, and soon Draco's eyes had turned brown and his hair bright pink. The Dark Mark, however, stood as stark against Draco's skin as it had before this charm session.

"Drake, it's not going to work-"

Draco ignored Blaise's words. "Just one more, maybe-"

"It's not going to work," Theo recited, having run out of spells. It was alarming that he knew so many and had them at the ready, but Blaise supposed he shouldn't be surprised.

The former blond visibly wilted. His skin paled with the growing blood loss, and Blaise hurriedly hoisted him up again. Theo grabbed his other side and the two picked up the pace, hoping they'd see Pomfrey before Draco passed out.

They made it, just barely.

Pomfrey took one look at the oozing blood and ushered them over to a bed towards the end of the Wing, out of the way of common traffic. She helped them lay the blond down and told them to help her strip the injured male.

"Ma'am," Theo tried. She stared at him, expectant. "Draco's got a rather nasty scar on his left arm, he doesn't like for people to see it."

"Don't worry, dear, I've seen all sorts of things during my time here," Pomfrey replied speedily, turning back to work. She had already worked off Draco's grey sweater and was undoing his tie when Blaise cleared his throat.

She huffed, "Yes?"

"It's _real_ nasty," Blaise reiterated, stepping in and grabbing Draco's arm, as if to shield it.

Pomfrey pushed his hand away and unbuttoned Draco's shirt. "Mr. Zabini, if I had a knut for every 'nasty scar' I've seen, I'd be ri-" Her voice died the moment she tugged Draco's shirt off to the side, revealing a rather warning mark. "I see."

Blaise wasn't sure what to say, but luckily, Theo was ready. "Madam Pomfrey, it wasn't his choice-"

"Yes, yes," Madam Pomfrey gave a resigned sigh. "I see. Believe it or not, this has happened before." She took some bandage from a trolley she had wheeled over and wrapped it around his left forearm, effectively blocking the Dark Mark from view. At their worried expressions, she added: "Don't worry, I won't tell. It's what most call 'doctor-patient confidentiality,' I believe."

Theo let out an audible sigh of relief.

"This, on the other hand," Pomfrey continued, shifting gears to Draco's ruby red wound. " _This_ will be a problem."

With a wave of her wand, she cleaned out the wound, but it didn't stop the bleeding. Pomfrey hurried over to her office and gathered some more medical supplies. She set the supplies down on the trolley and cast another spell to check his vials, but by the look on her face, she wasn't pleased with what she found.

"Has he been sleeping?" she asked, offhandedly, as she tended to the injury.

"No, ma'am," Theo answered.

"Eating properly?"

"Properly?" Theo shook his head. "No, ma'am."

She gave a disapproving hum and continued her work.

Daphne and Pansy wandered in, scanning the room for the bleeding blond. Pansy was the first to see him and let out a gasp.

"Is he alright?" Daphne asked, trailing behind Pansy. The girl had sprinted over, fawning over the blond. Pomfrey pushed her aside and told her to "give the boy some space!"

"He will be," Theo replied, eyes glued to Draco's form. It was a rather interesting image: Draco, finally unconscious, skin pale and blood oozing red, with a tuft of hot pink hair. Theo had forgotten to undo the charms in their haste.

Pomfrey assured his response. "Oh, he'll be fine, just needs a lot of rest and some healing, that's all." She finished applying some gauze. "Mr. Zabini, hold him up, will you?"

Blaise stepped in and held Draco up, allowing Pomfrey to wrap a bandage around his abdomen. Once done, Pomfrey sighed. "He'll be asleep for some time now, so I suggest you all go to dinner." That was basically Pomfrey-speak for "Get the hell out."

Blaise, Pansy, and Daphne started for the doors, but Theo didn't move. Instead, he pulled a chair over and sat down, watching Draco as he slept.

A little creepy, but Blaise could work with it.

The three of them strolled through the castle towards the dining hall quietly, which was strange, especially since Pansy was present. She appeared lost in thought, eyes staring forward, lip bitten.

On the way into the Great Hall, they passed Akane and Diggory walking the opposite direction, both clad in quidditch gear. It was strange seeing Akane wear the yellow and black of Hufflepuff every time they went against each other in the pitch, as it was such a sharp contrast to her silver and emerald tie.

Blaise didn't like it.

Whether it was because it was _Akane_ or because no Slytherin should ever wear Hufflepuff's colors, he didn't care. But the image was wrong, and if he could, he would do something about it.

He wasn't going to do anything about it. No, until Blaise could convince himself that Akane wasn't… who she was to him, Blaise was going to stay as far away from the girl as remotely possible.

"Oh." Pansy came to a halt. "Katsushi's in there."

"Yeah," Blaise nodded. He figured that was obvious.

Daphne teased, "Don't you want to start another betting pool? I'm sure you'll get a lot of money on this one."

Pansy simply stared for a minute, blinked a few times, and just like that, she was back. "Of course! The desperate bachelors of Akane Mikoshiba! Who will she choose?" Pansy barked out laughter. "I've got to find Millicent. We'll set up a table tomorrow." She sauntered into the Great Hall with heaps of confidence and a grin on her face.

Daphne shook her head. "She never does change, does she?"

"No," Blaise agreed.

The blond next to him sighed. "I think I've made a mistake."

He quirked a brow.

"Anthony didn't work out," she blurted, but it was more for herself than for him. Blaise already knew about their falling out, as he was probably one of the first to know. "And… that's okay. We aren't meant for each other."

"Did you want to be?" Blaise asked.

Daphne set her mouth in a line for a moment, thinking. "I think… I did, a little. But I was hoping for something that just wasn't there." She paused, a resigned sigh escaping her lips. "I couldn't place the smell at the time, but I know who my 'soulmate' is. If Brown's potion was accurate, of course."

Blaise didn't even think of that.

 _Of course_! It could be a fluke. There were a lot of things circling around that night and the tension that had built up simply exploded at Brown's proclamation. Was it a fountain of _Amortentia, the world's strongest love potion_? Fuck no! Brown couldn't brew a vial of Hiccoughing Potion even if she tried!

It didn't answer why he smelled that odd candy-like scent, along with a few other scents he didn't care to place, but the thought that something had gone wonky in the process was incredibly reassuring.

He withheld his urge to burst out and celebrate, though, because not only would that look highly suspicious coming from him- Mr. Tall, Dark, Handsome, Cool, Calm, and Collected- it would also appear greatly offensive to the troubled girl beside him.

"Who?" Blaise questioned, simply going along with the conversation. Perhaps Akane wasn't his _youknowwhat_ after all. Perhaps he had smelled her because he had been talking to her earlier, and got a lingering whiff of her perfume. Perhaps-

Daphne's voice reflected the harsh truths of reality. "The Weasley twins."

A pause.

"You're shitting me."

She shook her head. "No, I'm afraid not."

"How do you know it's them?" Blaise asked, staring down at her with wide eyes.

"Smells like fireworks and Canary Creams."

Another pause.

"Bloody hell."


	46. Chapter 46: Stay

(A/N) Longest chapter yet, guys!

* * *

"She's done it folks! Akane Mikoshiba has done it! She not only beat Tomoda Katsushi's time of catching the snitch, she actually beat the Tengu legend himself! This is a glorious day everybody!" The announcer continued on while Akane just sat on her broom. Still holding the position of the snitch when she caught it.

Breathing heavily she couldn't actually believe it. She beat _him_ and his sodding score that he always boasted about. She did it and she loved his face when she caught it. It was a mixture of surprise and anger.

Surprise that she beat him in a game, when he was always so confident in his skills. Then anger settled in, he was ruined. No longer does he hold the record of catching the snitch the fastest, it was her's. His _ex_.

Akane smirked, for so many reasons. The tengu had a bit of a gender bias. With the exception of her, there were no other women on the team because they viewed the female gender as weak. This of course prevented her from being the seeker of the team, which was given to Katsushi. She proved them all, that she wasn't weak.

Regardless of where she came from, who raised her, or what she is. She _isn't weak_ and this was only the first step.

As she flew down to her cheering teammates, her feet never touched the dirt. As they lifted her up in a way that Harry described during his first year of quidditch. She bathed in the glory that this win brought to her, knowing that Katsushi wouldn't act the same. Ever. He couldn't.

"Ak-an-e." The Hufflepuffs chanted for the snake. With her on their side, victory was assured undoubtedly.

* * *

After a while the cheers died down, and everyone who was in the stand either left or came running down asking for a photo. Some were even audacious, asking for a kiss. Akane couldn't help but blush at the sudden attention from the student body. _This must be how it feels to be the primary seeker,_ Akane thought bitterly. That position should've been her's from the start.

"Akane," it was Cedric hugging her from behind. "You're bloody brilliant."

"Thanks, Ced." She kissed his cheek slightly only to notice something different with his eyes. "What is it?"

"I never imagined that the most beautiful girl in the school would play quidditch, beat the world record and still even like me after everything. I'm bloody blessed," he kissed her neck.

"Ced-Cedric!" Akane gasped, scandalized. "There are people still here-"

"They all left a moment ago, I've been watching the door and counting heads."

"But I'm all sweaty!" She didn't oppose him as he started to untuck her shirt.

"And?"

"Kami, when were you this suave." Akane groaned as he started to become more adventurous. "But-but why now?"

"Do you not want to?" Cedric's voice almost made her upset.

"No! I just wished that I was cleaner, I'm covered in sweat right now." She held onto him, making sure he wouldn't run. "What is it?" Akane asked after seeing something conflicting within his green orbs.

"It's just that," he became slightly flustered. "You let McLaggen and I just… I-"

"Jealous?" Akane filled in.

"I can't get that image out of my head, you and him in the baths. Gah!"

"Ced?"

"Sorry I just, I'm normally not this pushy. But," he looked down into her eyes. "For some reason you just drive me insane."

"There's a shower."

"A shower?"

"Ced, there's a _shower_." She stretched the word, hoping he would understand.

"A shower-Oh! I… Jeez that took me too long." He blushed and she simply laughed at him. "You know, I think you have some sort of water fetish."

"What?"

"You're suggesting the shower, not that I'm complaining or anything but if I remember right you were with McLaggen in the baths."

"Ced." She said unamused. "I mean if you want to talk about my sex life then we certainly could instead of experiencing it-"

"No! No I'd much prefer the experiencing portion." He replied hastily.

"I thought so," she pulled down his uniform to steal a kiss. "Last one there is a rotten dragon's egg."

* * *

The duo eventually had to part ways, and as Akane was practically waltzing to the kitchens for something to eat she spotted Katsushi brooding. Hoping that he wouldn't see her, she briskly walked directly to her destination she tickled the fruit as quickly as possible to avoid yet another confrontation.

"Missus Akane," it was Dobby that greeted her then Tippy by his side. "What can we get you?"

"Um, make something special Dobby. I'm really hungry," Akane replied thinking of how much exactly that boy wore her down. If she thought Cor had some great stamina Ced was really something else. As things popped in front of her, she recognized a few of the dishes much to her delight and confusion.

"Dobby?"

"Missus Akane?" He popped in a second. "Is something wrong?"

"I was just wondering," she looked at the array of Japanese cuisine in front of her. "When did you learn how to make this?"

"Master Cedric gave Tippy a recipe book, he said that you might like it." Then Dobby became shy, "is it good?"

"It's wonderful. I haven't eaten any of this in months, thank you Dobby." She beamed at him and the miso soup that was in front of her. As she savored the flavors of her old life, Akane couldn't help but think of how sweet the gesture was, perhaps she'd try making something for him as well?

As Akane thanked Dobby profusely and left the kitchens only to see how dark it actually was. Making her ways towards the dungeons she spotted a familiar person by the lake. _Blaise._ She thought, wondering if it'd be a good idea to see him. Before she could make the choice Katsushi continued to interrupt.

"Tenshi." He was leaning against the wall of the school entrance. It appeared that she would be visiting Blaise instead of sleeping. Before she could get any further down the hall the brute grabbed her arm and forcefully spun her around. "What was _that._ " He spat.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, let go of me." She demanded.

Holding her arm tighter she didn't let out a shriek of pain knowing that he would know that he was winning, but bruising would probably be inevitable. "You know exactly what I mean."

"What? You scared of a little competition?" She taunted while her arm paid the price.

" _You?_ Competition," he scoffed. "I don't think so. As if _temae_ would ever pose as a threat."

"Then why are you acting like a _boke?_ " She continued on and he literally threw her to the side of the wall. _That hurts you teme._

"Because," he trapped her in the enclosed space leaning close. "You seem to forget somethings-"

"I forget nothing." She cut in. "Just because your masculinity is in danger doesn't mean you have to act like this." Akane waved her arms, then she looked at him with sad eyes. "What happened to you?"

"I grew up."

"Did you really?" She questioned him, seeing as this was her chance to escape she did.

That was what she regretted the most. Not saying what she wanted to say so many months ago. He changed. Subtly, ever so subtly at first. Then it hit her like a train, he was a totally different person all in under one week. The worst part was that she wasn't there to help him.

He became so conceited and horrible over seven days. That guilt of her's, the one where she wasn't able to help him when he changed stuck with her. Prompting her to stay with him for another six months, but she could only take so much. She knew that Tomoda she knew was still there, somewhere, lost. The Tomoda she fell for, but now she wasn't sure if she could find him. Akane knew that he wasn't the kind to use gender bias unlike the coaches, but when he did it irritated her even more so.

 _This isn't Tomoda, that is Katsushi_. She wanted to hit her head on the castle walls. To her, Katsushi was the arse she survived with. Katsushi was the one who betrayed her trust with the face of her beloved Tomoda. Katsushi was her enemy, while Tomoda was her lost lover.

And she wasn't sure how to get him back. Until she heard about _those_ scrolls. She knew that her honour was at stake along with her reputation and everything she's worked for, but to achieve a higher knowledge, just perhaps. There would've been something to fix him. Anything. But she was caught by the librarian who simply didn't understand, now matter how many times she tried to explain.

Suddenly she found herself in front of Blaise. Unsure of what to say, seeing that the full moon illuminated the whole scene in front of her.

"Mikoshiba."

"Blaise," she then remembered her present day issues. Blaise and herself happen to be one of them, "How's Malfoy?"

"He'll survive," he replied, voice stilted.

"Survive? Did he lose that much blood?"

"Yeah. He was still bleeding when we got to Pomfrey."

"How is he now?" Akane looked back to the school.

Blaise shrugged. "Not sure. Theo hung back with him."

"Why are you out here?" She shivered slightly as the wind picked up but he didn't seem to be phased.

"I was trying to avoid some people," he stated.

Her voice meek when she asked, "Am I one of them?"

"Depends on what you plan to say."

"What are my options?"

"Nothing serious or in relation to Halloween."

She opened her mouth but then closed it, "Alright… Did Adrian yell at you all after the match?"

"No," Blaise shook his head. "He was too stunned by his man-crush to do much of anything else."

"Right," Akane remembered that Adrian was a quidditch nut, it would make sense for him to basically worship Katsushi. "How do you feel about that?"

"What, Pucey's obsession or Katsushi?"

"Either, you pick."

"I don't like it. Either one."

"Well then." She struggled to find another conversational topic, "aren't you cold?"

He gazed out at the Lake. "No."

"I'll… Do you want me to leave?"

"The truth or what I'm willing to say. Pick one."

"I want the truth but I'd like to hear both. I'm more about the variety of things than one single thing."

"Yeah, that's pretty obvious," he scoffed under his breath. Louder, he replied, "Normally I'd say I don't care, but the honest answer is no. I don't want you to leave."

This brought a small smile to her lips, for the first time in a long time she felt him being genuine. "What would you like me to do then?"

"That's up to you, as always."

"Perhaps, but maybe for a moment. I'd like to hear what you'd want."

It took a moment for Blaise to respond. "Stay."

"I will." She took a seat and then patted her lap, gesturing for him to lay down.

Blaise gave her a look. "I'm not doing that."

"Why not?" She questioned with hint of mirth.

"I'm not the sodding _dog_ that Diggory is."

Akane knew. She knew that if she didn't pick her battles correctly, she might lose Blaise just like she lost Tomoda. "I didn't say you were, you just look tired. That's all."

"Sleep is for the weak," he snorted.

"They said the same thing about girls in Japan, but I know a girl who recently beat the world record for catching the snitch."

He gave her another look, this one withering. "Yeah, yeah, you're proud. I get it. But remember, I lost, so don't get cocky."

"I didn't mean to make a jab at you." She thought her words carefully. "In Japan, the Tengu is very picky on who they let on the team… Have you ever wondered why I'm the only girl?"

"I don't pay much attention to professional quidditch like Pucey does," Blaise said. "I just play because it's something to do. But I guess that's a good question as any."

"Well, have you ever wondered why Katsushi is the seeker?" Akane looked up to him, "honestly he's not as good as he likes to think he is."

"I know it's surprising, but I try not to think about Katsushi unless I absolutely have to." Blaise's voice held a hint of sarcasm.

Seeing as this wasn't going the way she hoped it would, Akane stayed silent. Still abiding by his request of staying next to him. She wouldn't leave until he either said to or he left first.

"Clearly you're trying to make a point, so make it."

"I won't if you don't want me to. And it seems you don't want me to do that."

He paused. "You want to, so go."

"As I was saying," Akane took in a deep breath. "It took me three years and over forty tryouts to become a _chaser_ while Tomo-Katsushi only needed one. They're gender biased, and it felt good to finally see Katsushi's face. He's like the epitome of Japanese male stereotypes, it felt nice to show him how women aren't beneath him."

"I'm glad you had that gratification," Blaise responded, dry.

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"What would make you happy?" She tried to see his eyes although it was incredibly dark.

His expression darkened, too. "I want to be eleven again."

"Eleven? What made that age so memorable?"

"That's how old I was when I started coming here. 'S before I had to see the world for what it was."

Akane lowered her head, glancing towards the lake she his words resembled Tomoda's during the week he changed. "Is that all? I mean that only thing would make you happiest?"

"There's not just _one thing_ that can fix the mess we're all- _I'm-_ in."

"The war." Akane whispered remembering Daphne's word.

He flashed her a bothered look. "Yeah, _that_."

"I wonder what'll happen… From the whispers around Hogsmeade they target anyone who isn't a _Pure Blood_ or whatever that means."

"What-" Blaise startled at her words. "Are your parents both magical?"

"I… Wouldn't know. They left me in a rice bin," she laughed. "You know, since boys are worth more in Japan they didn't want a daughter… I suppose it doesn't even matter who raised me, right?"

"No. To them, it doesn't."

"I suppose that means I'll probably die, right? If they come here that is," Akane grasped the dead grass.

Blaise shrugged. "I'd say that because you were a Slytherin, you'd have a chance, but that doesn't seem to be the case anymore."

"Right… Besides, I'm not too much of a Slytherin anyways." She laid on the scratchy grass. "Everyone seems to think that."

He paused for a moment. "You're not wrong."

"Yeah, maybe the sorting hat was having an off moment?"

"It's unlikely. But somehow that demon of a man ended up in Ravenclaw, and if _stereotypes_ say anything, he should be wearing green, not blue."

"Demon man. I take it as you and Katsushi aren't on good terms anymore?"

"I let him believe what he wants to," Blaise drawled. "Draco loathes him."

"What about you?"

"Oh, I don't like him either," Blaise insisted. "But he's useful."

"For what? Quidditch?" She scoffed.

His eyes flickered over to her. "Yeah, sure."

"I've been asking a lot of questions, haven't I?" Akane tried to track their conversation.

"Just a bit, but I don't mind. For now, at least."

"That's sweet of you," Akane looked up at his tall figure.

Blaise shook his head. "Don't call me that."

"Sweet?"

"What else?"

"There was a 'you' in there if I remember correctly."

He snorted. "You know what I meant."

"Anata wa utsukushī egao o motte imasu." She replied in her native tongue knowing that he wouldn't understand a lick of it.

In response, Blaise only gave her a bewildered look.

"What's the matter?" She joked.

"The hell was that?" he asked, mood lightened.

"Japanese. This is what happens when your school doesn't teach you different languages."

"Pensate di essere intelligenti, vero?"

"Anata ga nani o itte iru no ka wakarimasen."

"This isn't going to work."

"It can if you want it to," she removed her wand from her pocket seeing as it was poking her. "There's a spell that'll make you multi-lingual for a few hours. Quite useful."

"Yeah, I'm aware of it," Blaise snorted. "My mum's got it memorized."

"She sounds like a smart woman."

"She just wants cock from around the world."

"As long as she's happy, or are you not alright with that?"

Blaise shrugged. "I could care less, but I'm the one who has to _hear_ it, so."

"Silencing charms?"

"She's a loud woman," Blaise stated.

"Isn't that a compliment for her to be? I mean for her partner? That way he knows that he's not a failure in sex?"

Laughing, Blaise asked, "What kind of analysis is that?"

Blushing, "Well-I. Blaise you've had sex before. Isn't it awkward if she's all stoic and silent?"

"Stoic, yeah, but I don't need screams to know I'm doing a good job."

"Jeez," she couldn't help but cover her face slightly. "You knew what I meant."

"Sure, yeah." Sarcasm.

"Somedays I wonder, Blaise."

"I wonder, too. Are Diggory and McLaggen talented in the slightest?"

"Zabini!" She couldn't look at him at all.

"What? Honest question. I know Diggory's like a dog, so… but McLaggen? All I can picture is a disaster."

"Ced is fine and so is Cor. They're both pretty nice, 'cept one has more stamina than the other." She recalled the locker rooms, "Either way. Wait… Why am I explaining this?" She flushed again.

"Cute," Blaise smirked. "It was Diggory, right?"

"How would you know? Personal experience?" She turned the tables.

"Me and Diggory? Fuck no, that's not happening."

"I hear there's this thing called 'shipping.' It's quite popular among your fanclubs, your's and his. I might add there's another thing called fanfiction. I actually was curious enough to read about it and it was quite descriptive."

Scoffing, Blaise drawled, "Oh I know what fanfiction is, you dirty girl. Shipping, too. Davis was really into it for a while, you'd probably like her." Then he smirked. "Descriptive, huh?"

"It takes one to know one, Blaise it really does." She referred to the 'dirty girl' comment.

"I never said I was innocent."

"I figured, Ginny came back sloshed after she aced a test. I tried to get her to shut it but she wouldn't stop telling me all about your adventures with her." Akane rolled her eyes.

"Those _were_ some good 'adventures'," he faux reminisced.

Her curiosity got the better of her. "Which one was your favorite?"

"With Weaslette, with others, or voyeur?"

"It sounds like you liked it all."

"I wouldn't go so far as to say that." An expression flickered over his face, but it was quick to vanish.

"Then tell me the worst one."

"Well, not sure if it's 'the worst,' but I get to listen to Draco and Theo shag on a weekly basis."

"I had my suspicions," then she rephrased the question. "What's the worst you've had?"

He laughed. "Hmm… I had a girl bite something that should _not_ be bitten. That was _hell."_

Akane couldn't contain her laughter. So much that she had to roll to her side in hopes that it'd be easier to breath. "Kami, I can't believe she did that." Akane gasped for air with every other word.

"You and me both," Blaise snickered. "Found out too late she was into some kinky blood shite, so I bailed as soon as I could."

"What kind of kinky shite?" She raised a brow knowing he wouldn't be able to see.

"Well, my first warning was the bite. Second was the knife she pulled out of Merlin knows where," he replied. "It was honestly terrifying. I thought I was going to be sacrificed."

"Kami," Akane continued to giggle. "I can't believe you still stayed with her after the biting incident."

Blaise shrugged, still grinning. "Just wanted to see what would happen, I guess."

"Oh, so you're the one who's got a kinky side?"

"Who doesn't?"

"Snape… Probably."

"Nah, he's got something up his sleeve."

She shivered in disgust. "I can't imagine. Well I can, but I don't want to. It's like imagining him and McGonagall together doing… Things…"

"Why would you even suggest that," Blaise groaned. "Merlin."

"They have such a following it's hard to ignore."

"Who else has got a following, then?"

"There's quite a few…"

"I'm ready," Blaise claimed.

"You asked for it," she then listed. "Ginny and Malfoy is pretty popular, Ginny and Harry, Ginny and myself, Ginny and Snape, McGonagall and Snape, McGonagall and Dumbledore, Borkan and Marks, Borkan and myself, Pansy and Ron which is really unlikely, Hermione and Malfoy, you and Hermione, you and Ginny, you and Theodore, you and Daphne, and we both know about the ones about the other one's about myself."

"Wow," was all Blaise said, until, "Draco sure does get a lot of girls for a gay guy. Was Pansy thrown in there at any point?"

"With Ron, but we both know they'd rather die first." Akane then laughed, "I think the girls like Malfoy's 'silky blond hair' or his 'stormy grey eyes.'" She even mimicked their voices.

"Merlin, it's like you're one of them," he snickered. "I've got a lot too, it seems."

"I'm no fangirl, you should know that."

Blaise shrugged. "Figured I'd ask."

"Hm, why would I need to be one when I see you fairly often and Ced with me? I don't need to fantasize with other girls," Akane smirked slightly.

"Is that fun? Having a harem and all."

"It wasn't a choice, it was because of the potion…" She stopped, seeing as he didn't want to speak about anything that happened during Halloween. "In the end everyone just wants to be happy."

"Close call, Mikoshiba," Blaise acknowledged her initial statement. After a beat, he asked, "Do you buy it?"

"As I told Daph, I trust her potions skills just as much as I can throw her." Akane waved off, "But still, it has to have some merit to it. Maybe it wasn't perfect but still…"

Blaise took a moment to think. "Yeah, maybe, but people botch love potions all the time. You can't just whip up _Amortentia_ and call it done. The Weasley's sell bottled love potions at their shop, it could easily be one of theirs."

"Perhaps, but the twins' are able to sell it so that mean it must work to an extent."

"Not in the same way, no," Blaise shook his head. "It's not true love. It just causes an infatuation for the one who gave it to you, if they do it right."

"That means that it isn't the twins' then. Brown's had a scents. Not just an infatuation thing." She pointed out.

"I'm going to say something rude, so if you don't want to hear it, stop me now."

She moved but she was now sitting upright.

"If it were Amortentia, you'd smell your soul _mate._ Not mates. Not plural. I figure it's been all fun and games for you, but this isn't the truth. That's why I think Brown botched the brew. Well, that, and how Pucey had a hard-on for his broom for the rest of the blasted evening."

"Maybe you're right, that there's no way I could have more than one, but when was being a wizard ever linear? Then again, if you are right. Maybe it narrows down the possibilities of who my soulmate is. What is your opinion on that?"

Blaise turned to look at her. "I say we make a proper brew and find out for ourselves. Not sure about Diggory and McLaggen, but if I'm part of this, I'm not playing games."

"I'm too old for games Blaise," Akane whispered. "When and where?"

"Meet me tomorrow, outside the common room at eight."

"Morning or night?"

"Night, obviously. I'm not getting up _that_ early."

"I wanted to make sure… Blaise?"

"What?"

"What if what I said earlier was right? What if by some chance, that the five of us are connected in some way."

Blaise stood up. "Like I said. I'm not playing games anymore. If that's how it is, then we'll see what happens. But I can't promise you anything."

"I don't want any promises anymore, Blaise." She shook her head. "People can't seem to keep them."

"Glad we're on the same page."

"Are you cold now?"

"No," he replied, glancing around their surroundings. "I guess I've become immune."

"I see," she started to rub her arms for friction in hopes of heat avoiding the spot where Katsushi left a bruise.

"I hope you realize I'm not wearing my robes."

"I did." She smiled slightly, "I wouldn't ask for them either way, they're yours. Meant to keep you warm, not me."

He raised a brow. "There are things called heating charms, you know."

"I didn't." She looked for her wand in the dark, carefully so that there wouldn't be a snapping sound.

" _Incendium."_ Blaise cast the spell for her.

"Thank you," she felt the lovely heat.

"No problem."

"And you said you weren't sweet, anata." Akane gave him a pet name that he probably wouldn't understand.

Blaise shook his head resolutely. "Not sweet."

"It makes me wonder if you like sweet things… What kind of things do you like?"

"I don't eat a lot of sweets," he stated, "But I don't dislike them."

"If I made you something, would you eat it?" Akane wondered. "My skills in the kitchens are pretty strong."

Skepticism hung heavy in his expression. "Why? Are you going to drug me? You want to do naughty things to me, don't you?"

"Hentai man," she sighed. "I like to make castella cake. But as I said it's a cake and I don't want to eat one alone."

"I-" he came to a halt and shook his head. He seemed to struggle with his words, but was reluctant to show it.

"I won't make you," Akane whispered somewhat disappointed. "After all, you are Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome. Wouldn't want your fangirls to try to poison me," she laughed in the same way she did earlier when she spoke about her parents.

Blaise frowned at her. "I-it's not you. I have a, uh, thing. A problem."

"Would you like to fix it?" She offered.

"At this point, I don't think I can."

"If you'd like, maybe I could help." Akane reached out for the sleeve of his sweater not bold enough to touch his hand but it was enough for her to get her point across.

He offered a stiff smile. "Not today, Mikoshiba."

"Tomorrow?"

"We'll see."

"Then I'll make something that you can't resist." She didn't let go of his sleeve, wanting to make sure he wouldn't just vanish.

Blaise's gaze dropped to her fingers on his sleeve, but he didn't comment on it. "Yeah, alright."

"Hm," she began to brainstorm. "What don't you like?"

"Fat," he blurted, a bit quickly.

"Savory is out of the question then, anything else? Allergies?"

"No allergies, but nothing too calorie heavy, either."

"I understand… Everything at this school is calorie heavy," she then poked her stomach.

"Yeah, something like that," Blaise said.

"What is your favorite meal?"

He thought for a moment. "I'm not sure."

"Okay," Akane nodded. "What types of foods do you not like at all? Like Spanish or German or British or what?"

"If it makes things simpler for you, I'll tell you this. You can make whatever you want, but I can't say I'm going to eat _all_ of it."

"I'm not asking you to eat all of it, baka. You gotta share some with me too," she joked.

"Ha, yeah." His voice didn't share the same cheery manner.

"Blaise?"

"What?"

"You're not alone, not anymore." Akane wouldn't let him be, no matter what it just felt right.

"If that's true," Blaise paused, not fully believing her words. "Then there's something else I should say, too."

"What is that?"

"To put things plainly, I'm an arse, and I had full intentions to use Diggory and Katsushi at one point or another to get to you, I think. Well, maybe not Diggory, but definitely Katsushi," Blaise shrugged and made a face like it wasn't a big deal.

It took her a moment to digest, she knew something was up with Blaise and how he and Ced would be seen together, especially after his seeming hatred for Ced. Katsushi she didn't mind as much, but for some reason the hints of betrayal felt odd. In a bad way. But she gave him her word, and this time she'll reassure him that he wouldn't be alone. Not anymore.

"Blaise. I'm still here, if you trying to scare me away that won't work very well." She tugged on his sleeve.

"I'm fighting on the wrong side of the war," he blurted.

"War is disgusting within itself. We all fight for something, thinking the enemy is the root of all evil, but in reality they're fighting for the same thing everyone else is. To be happy."

"I mean, I thought the Dark Lord was fighting for total annihilation, but that works too."

"Blaise you knew what I meant, that guy is just very charming with his words. And his powers but you know," she tried to lighten the mood with the last bit.

"Yeah, yeah, but I'm not doing it for him."

"I won't ask who you're doing it for until you want to tell me," she hummed.

He shook his head. "Not yet."

"But anyways, Anata, it's getting late. What if a teacher comes out here and gives us detention, not the best way to start that brew."

"Detention isn't so bad, but," Blaise shot a glance up at the moon. "You're right."

"That's the first time I've ever heard that escape your lips." She cracked a smile.

"Don't get used to it."

"Perhaps you're just not used to saying it," she stood up and brushed off the dry grass.

Shrugging, he gave her one final smirk. "Maybe."

"What's with that smirk on your face? It might be dark but I'm not blind."

"All in due time, princess."

"Patience was never a virtue of mine, Anata."

"Really?" Blaise asked, faux awe. "And here I was thinking Diggory was finally good for something."

"What's with you and making jabs at Ced?" She wondered without accusation. "It's only him too from what I've noticed. Him and Cor."

"I don't give a rat's arse about McLaggen," Blaise snorted. "But Diggory? He's a rival."

"In who's got the biggest fanclub or what?" She began to slowly inch towards the castle.

He followed her. "More like, who's the best looking bloke in Hogwarts."

"Then I'm afraid you've both been beaten." She held a hand to her heart in fake sympathy. "Borkan's got one of the biggest followings behind Malfoy."

Blaise scoffed. "I thought I solved that problem."

"Borkan?" Akane was confused, "He's a nice guy. A little slow with the hulusi but still."

"He was nice because he had the hots for you," Blaise explained. "So I took care of it. Sort of."

"But does that mean you have the hots for me then?" She pointed to herself, "Otherwise you wouldn't have 'taken care' of Borkan."

"As if," Blaise snorted, but whether or not his response was sarcasm, it was hard to tell. "I actually did that for Diggory."

"And you mentioned that you and Ced were rivals," she turned around and smiled. "You're mixing up your words, Anata."

"There's actually a story behind this, but I'm going to keep my mouth shut and save it for tomorrow," Blaise decided. "Remember, we've got a potion to brew."

"And where will we get these ingredients? _Oh Prodigy of Potions!_ As Slughorn would say," Akane snickered at her own interpretation.

Blaise offered a forced laugh. "Ha, ha. Don't worry about that, I've got an idea."

"As long as it isn't perverted then it should work out pretty well."

"Now you're just giving me ideas."

"Tsk. Tsk. Naughty boy," she did the hand signs.

He only offered a wolfish grin in response.

"Anyways," she blushed slightly glad that it was too dark and she was facing away from him. "We better get back before we actually have to serve detention. From what I've heard they're not fun."

"They're not," he assured her. "I would know."

"Now what have you done to deserve that?"

"Ask me tomorrow."

"I suppose." She shrugged, "How are we gonna get past Filch?"

"Carefully, Mikoshiba. Keep talking and he might just hear us."

"I can only imagine what he'll think," she whispered. "You and I sneaking around this late."

Blaise smirked, again. "Planning on making this a regular thing, are you?"

"Perhaps." She smirked as well.


	47. Chapter 47: Soul-Cleanse Solution

Blaise woke up rather early for a Sunday and went about business, preparing for his meeting later with Akane. He'd have to make a few stops to collect the necessary items, and it was crucial that he not get wrapped up into any of Pansy's schemes in the mix.

First, he stopped by the kitchens to pick up some breakfast, telling Dobby "nothing too heavy" and getting a muffin in reply. He didn't stay there, though, instead choosing to pick at the baked good on his walk to the Hospital Wing.

Draco had been out cold the entire previous day. Theo had stayed by his side, and he must've had a few words with Pomfrey, for the woman only regarded him with a stiff "good morning" as she checked on the blond's wound. Walking in, Blaise went unnoticed by the three people until he appeared by Pomfrey's side.

"Mr. Zabini!" she yelped, nearly dropping the potion she held in her hand. "You gave me a fright!"

"Sneaky bastard," Theo teased. By the heavy bags under his eyes, Blaise could tell Theo didn't get much sleep. He slouched in his seat, clothes wrinkled and hair even messier than usual.

Blaise smirked at Theo. Then he cleared his throat and asked, "How's he doing?"

"Perfectly fine," Pomfrey replied. "The splinch will take a bit to heal, but he should be fine in a few days."

Nodding, Blaise glanced down at his friend. Although his rest was long overdue, Draco will probably stir up a storm in regards to losing time, and _Theo, what are you doing? Has anyone checked on the cabinet? What day is it? Fucking hell, Blaise, give that blasted necklace to Pansy-_

He could hear the blond's voice in his head, clear as day. He could picture it, too, Draco launching up out of the cot and reaching for his wand, ready to hex someone.

As funny as that would be, Blaise remembered the tasks he had set for himself. After exchanging a few words with Theo, he abandoned the Hospital Wing with a cheery "good-bye" and a wave over his shoulder.

His next stop was the library. The mostly empty halls were highly appreciated by the Slytherin, as he wasn't interrupted by anyone, specifically those with names that rhymed with DickLaggen, Smiggory, or Patsushi. He did, however, get caught in the crowd that had piled up outside of the Great Hall, surrounding a familiar little table.

Pansy's voice rang out over the collective jingling of currency. "The tables have turned! Will Tomoda Katsushi, Akane Mikoshiba's ex, be the one to steal her heart? Or will Cedric Diggory- our school's very own Apollo- or Cormac McLaggen- well-known Gryffindor and member of the Slug Club- step in and sweep her away? Place your bets, people!"

Blaise picked up the pace and shoved through the students, ducking down to avoid Pansy's sweeping gaze. Once of the crowd, he strolled down the corridor to the set of grand moving staircases.

Surprisingly, he was the only other student in the library, apart from a frazzled Granger. Madam Pince sat at her desk and stared at him with pursed lips and stern eyes, open tome waiting in front of her.

"Morning, Madam Pince," Blaise greeted, in a rather good mood that particular day. They were going to solve this "soulmate dilemma" for good. If he and Akane were _truly_ meant to be together, he was ready to accept the girl. He had come to terms with his oddly developing feelings and knew that if they were going to get anywhere, he'd have to be a little unlike himself and cooperate to make this pending relationship work. Fine. He could do that.

If he and Akane _weren't_ soulmates, he'd just do what he normally would: shove his feelings down to the Lazarus pit inside his heart and pretend he didn't care. Blaise had done it once, he could do it again. It'd hurt, but it'd be the truth, and at this point, that's what he wanted.

If Akane was _right_ and the harem was truly destined, Blaise wouldn't be able to do it. It may sound selfish, but Blaise wasn't willing to share with two- three, although the third was a mystery- other people. This being the case, he'd probably react similarly to if he and Akane weren't destined.

This all sounded rather sickly romantic, and if Blaise wasn't standing in front of one of the strictest witches throughout the school, he'd gag.

Speaking of, Madam Pince simply raised both brows at him, silently asking what he needs.

"Could I have the access to the restricted section?" Blaise asked, casually.

Madam Pince gave him a stern stare. She reached behind her desk and pulled out a purple slip of paper with the word "PASS" scribbled onto it. Offering the woman a thanks, Blaise ventured into the closed-off section of the library and set to work.

He found some interesting bits of information in his research.

They had all been mistaken, first of all. Lavender Brown _definitely_ did not brew Amortentia. If she had, several students would be consumed by the obsession they held for the one they were infatuated with to do much of anything else. No, Brown probably brewed a much simpler love potion, claiming it to be Amortentia for theatrics.

Second of all, Amortentia did not reveal things such as "soulmates." Amortentia only smelled of the one that a person was most romantically inclined. If drank, the victim of the potion would- again- become so obsessed with the one they "loved" that they'd become sickly. And it wasn't even true love at that, simply a fake love that stirred between the one who brewed the potion and the one who consumed it.

Third, the scents. The scents would resemble what one was most attracted to. That was where Brown's potion was most confusing, yet accurate. How could she mimic such a response? What did that blasted girl even _make,_ anyways?

But on the next page of a specifically rotting volume, Blaise found a particularly intriguing alternative.

 _Soul-Cleanse Solution. Invented in 1784 by mistake, its properties resemble that of a love potion, as it possesses the scent-lure of Amortentia, but the result is more similar to that of Veritaserum. The Soul-Cleanse Solution is an incredibly rare- and dangerous- potion that causes the drinker to reveal truths that they themselves may not know. It is recommended to use the Soul-Cleanse Solution rarely, if at all. Most potioneers avoid it, seeing as it typically will bring some sort of trouble to the one who drinks it._

 _The Soul-Cleanse Solution is a highly difficult brew. The potioneer must be careful, though, as unlike some rare potions, the Soul-Cleanse Solution is effective only moments after it is made. Typically, the brew will last for a month, but drinking after that time period will cause illness and delusions._

The text broke down into the history of the potion and included oddly specific examples of the sort of trouble it caused. One had to be careful in handling the Soul-Cleanse Solution, as the drinker would be ready to reveal any sort of information if asked. The drinker themselves, too, will suffer turmoil, as subconscious realizations will quickly become known.

Below that, a list of ingredients and the process needed to brew the potion was provided. Blaise took one glance over the font, stuck the purple "PASS" in between pages as a bookmark, and returned to Madam Pince, requesting to check out the book.

As he told Akane before, he wasn't playing anymore games. If they were going to figure this out, they were going to do it right.

* * *

Around lunch, Blaise went to Hogsmeade and stopped at Dogweed and Deathcap, hoping they'd sell a few ingredients among their primarily Herbology stock. He managed to find a few rose thorns and peppermint, which were both required in the potion, and purchased those.

The rest, though, he had to steal from Slughorn's stash, which he did. Blaise snuck in after the professor left for lunch and siphoned off several ingredients into smaller jars. He tossed all of these in a black pouch he found in Draco's suitcase, along with his spell-shrunken cauldron, and shoved the pouch in his pocket for later.

As planned, he came back around to the common room entrance and waited outside, just a few minutes before eight. Right on time, Akane came out of the Slytherin entrance, looking prepared.

"Mikoshiba," Blaise greeted.

"Blaise," she smiled with a small bag in her hands.

A bag? He raised a brow. "What did you bring?"

"Surprise."

Interesting. "Are you ready?" he asked instead.

"As I'll ever be."

"Good," Blaise nodded. "Follow me, then." He began walking down the corridor, following the path he's forced himself to memorize: the Room of Requirement.

"Wait, where are we going?" Akane didn't recognize any of the corridors, if anything the astronomy tower isn't in this general area.

He glanced over at her, sensing her confusion. "Surprise," he mimicked.

"I hate surprises," she muttered, not sure if he'd hear her but not entirely caring seeing as she was too busy observing the halls.

Blaise heard. "So do I." A pause. "Did you tell Diggory or McLaggen about this?"

"Ced knows, I told him after quidditch practice, Cor did his own research." She then added, "I think that is probably the reason I don't see him as much. Not much of a confrontational person."

Yet another intriguing bit of information. Blaise was surprised that the other two didn't hunt him down, and he was even more surprised that McLaggen had started his own project, but he didn't care enough to ask for specifics. "Alright."

She laughed plainly, "If it were anyone else, they'd be clear to show their confusion on their face after I mentioned Cor doing research. Most people associate him with his cocky smirk and quidditch."

"Oh, I'm aware," Blaise replied, dry. "Bloke's a heathen."

"Heathen? He's not a bad guy, Blaise."

"You can defend him all you want, but I see him at Slug Club, and the man eats like an animal."

"Like many others, but you can't define a person by their appetites."

Blaise shrugged. "Have _you_ seen him eat?"

He saw her about to make a quick response but she quickly shut her mouth. "Yes. I have."

"Exactly."

"But that doesn't make him a _heathen_."

"Weasley _also_ eats like a beast," Blaise pointed out. "Is he not a heathen?"

"No. He isn't, Ron isn't. Besides the definition of heathen is an uncultured or uncivil person."

Blaise snorted. "Point proven."

"So if Cor's considered a heathen, Ced's a dog, what does that make you?" Akane looked at him with a raised brow.

With a hint of attitude, he drawled, "Clearly better than them." They turned and went up a flight of stairs, steadily getting closer to the seventh floor.

"How so?" She prodded.

"There's this thing called _pureblood supremacy_ that has been drilled into the minds of my like-minded peers," Blaise began, faux philosophical. "Because I associate with them, I'm likely to think the same. Also, McLaggen's plain obnoxious, anyone will tell you that."

"Perhaps, but did anyone really want to know the plain obnoxious heathen? I doubt it… Pureblood supremacy." She said the two words as if they were bitter to her tongue.

"It's a thing, you know," Blaise commented, noticing her negative vibes.

"I'd assume that much," Akane muttered somewhat displeased that the wizarding societies around the globe still seem to have their own prejudices. "How much further?"

Taking note of their surroundings, he answered, "Just another set of stairs or so."

"Alright, okay." She never knew just how many stories this school was for such a little population. "Why is this school so bloody big?"

"The founding four probably expected a much larger number of students."

"Founding four," then her eyes widened in recognition. "Yes! I read about them, quite a hard task to create such a large school."

Blaise glanced up at the towering stone walls. "Yeah, it's pretty huge. There's a lot of stuff around that most people don't even know exists."

"Like?"

Rather than answering, Blaise came to a halt, having arrived at the magic wall. Making sure no one was around- not like they would be, anyway- Blaise started walking back and forth, focusing on the room he wished to appear. _Potion's room, Potion's room, Potion's room._ He counted his steps, too, keeping track of how many times he paced back and forth. After the third, he turned to find the familiar ironwork door standing at least ten-feet high, waiting to be opened.

"Like this," Blaise replied with a smirk.

Bewilderment was evident on Akane's face. "What is this?"

"It's the Room of Requirement." Blaise opened the door and gestured for her to walk in. "And right now, it's a room built for brewing." The insides of the room resembled the potions classroom, if only slightly darker and emptier.

As she walked in surprised that this room existed at all, "It can turn into anything?"

Blaise nodded in assurance. "Yeah, you just gotta focus on what you want, and it appears."

"Wow," she touched the walls to ensure that this was real. "Why keep it hidden though?"

"That's the allure," he explained. "It wouldn't be fun if it wasn't a secret."

"I could only imagine what'd happen if the whole student body knew about this room."

"A lot of things," he replied. Depending on what room was conjured, the Room of Requirement could prove rather dangerous. Draco and Theo managed to find a whole stash of cursed items, so the opportunities were endless.

There was also Flint's sex dungeon, but that was scary for another reason entirely.

"Blaise? What's with that look?"

He shook his head. "I remembered something disturbing. Whatever. Anyways. We have work to do." Blaise approached one of the desks and finding the pouch in his pocket, went about setting up their work station.

"Slughorn?" Akane asked seeing many of the familiar ingredients.

"A few yeah," Blaise said, taking out the jars of supplies. "Cauldron's mine, though."

"Of course," she set her own bag on a separate table. "You are the _Prodigy of Potions."_

Funny. "That used to be Draco's title."

"Really?" She wasn't sure if she could believe that.

"Yeah, back when Snape taught Potions," Blaise explained. "Draco's his godson."

"That makes sense," her dislike of potions still ever prominent.

Shrugging, Blaise took out the tome and flipped it open to the page that the potion was listed on. "Potions aren't so bad."

"Maybe for you," she grumbled as she unpacked the bag, revealing a few containers.

He stared down at her collection. "Seriously, though, _what_ did you bring?"

"Do you like the taste of tomato sauce?"

"Shite, did you really?" Blaise watched her with widened eyes. "I thought-"

"Plans changed." She smiled cheerfully. "Don't worry I made it by hand, no way for something too calorie heavy. Besides, I didn't do all of it for you. I've been meaning to eating healthier lately."

 _Sure, Mikoshiba,_ the voice in his mind piped up. Out loud, though, he blurted, "Is this because I said I was bloody Italian?"

"No," she shook her head smiling that he thought that way. "I wanted to try making this." She held up another container. "It's squash spaghetti. Acts like pasta without all the carbs."

Blaise could only look at the containers with conflicted emotions. The gesture was nice, but… "We're doing the potion first."

"Of course, I figured that much." Akane finished unpacking a few more containers and then walked over to where he stood. "What's first?"

" _Aguamenti,"_ Blaise cast with a wave of his wand. "Now, add the rose horns."

"No preparation needed?" She tried to see the tome.

He slyly angled it away from her. "It's one of those odd potions that works in a strange way, so no. It comes after the first few ingredients have been added."

"Then why did you say to add the rose horns… Better yet why are you moving away from me?"

"Potioneers work like magicians, Mikoshiba. You aren't supposed to reveal your secrets."

"We are practically magicians, Anata. We're in a facility to practically learn those secrets," she put her hands on her hips.

Waving a hand dismissively, Blaise tsked. "Muggle magicians. I thought you knew your stuff."

"We don't have muggles that imitate magic wielders in Japan… It's considered sorcery not entertainment."

"For real?" Blaise asked, surprised. "Well, 'spose that's good. They're loony, the lot of them."

"I suppose," she shrugged watching him do his work. "What are you doing now?"

"Crushing the peppermint," he replied. "Do me a favor and turn on the burner, would you?"

"To boiling or just to keep the water simmering?"

"Simmering."

"Alright," Akane did as instructed. "Now what?"

"I'm going to add the peppermint. While I do that, stir the potion clockwise four times."

"Alright, speed doesn't matter does it?"

He looked over at her, then down at the book. "No."

"Okay." Akane watched as he added the minty mush and she stirred as instructed.

As they followed the steps, Blaise felt the need to note, "When this is done, don't drink it. Just smell it."

"What happens if one of us tastes it?" She reminded him, "My book isn't the new version yet. I had to share with Ced, so I didn't get the full text."

 _Good,_ Blaise thought. All the easier to make this lie convincing. "Nothing good," he said, rather vague.

"And that happens to be?"

"Let's just say it'll make you realize something you may not be ready to handle."

"What? Intense lust?"

"Yeah, that," Blaise nodded.

"And for who or _what,_ exactly?"

Blaise glanced down at the steaming brew. The Soul-Cleanse Solution ended up resembling a deep purple rather than Amortentia's vibrant pink, and he hoped to Merlin she wouldn't question it. "Seeing as we brewed it, you'd probably have that ' _intense lust'_ for me."

"Mhmm," she contemplated looking at the mixture. "What would happen if this wasn't cured immediately? As if somehow, we avoided having sex?"

He brushed it off. "Amortentia only lasts so many hours." Then he smirked. "And please, you wouldn't be able to resist me."

"Anata," her eyes rolled. "Really?"

"You know it."

"My memory isn't exactly terrible, but…" She observed the color, "don't you think this might be a tad off?"

 _Shite._ "Yeah, maybe. I've never seen Amortentia, so I wouldn't know."

"Lies." She looked at him wonder what he'd been making this whole time.

Blaise offered a laugh. "Lies? What, have _you_ seen Amortentia?"

"We brewed it on the first day. I remember Slughorn clearly happy about how 'perfect' the batch was. We were even about to smell it until Malfoy messed up his and ruined everyone else's."

"I thought that was Pucey," Blaise said, trying to remember the events of that wild day.

"It was their group, and you were in mine." Akane pointed to them both.

"Right, yeah," Blaise nodded. "Pucey can be a piece of work-"

Akane pointed to the potion in the pot, "What is this?"

Swiftly, Blaise pulled out the bookmark and slammed the tome shut. "It's something that will give us the answers we want."

"Alright, then show me the page you just closed." Her ire slowly rising.

Blaise glanced down at her. "Like I've said, Mikoshiba. I'm not playing games. Did you really think we were going to make _Amortentia_? That won't solve shite, it'll only make things worse."

"So you've been lying to my face this whole time?" Slightly distancing herself.

"Are you surprised?" Blaise countered. On some deep level, he understood why she was reacting this way, but his pride forced him to put up a defense. He reminded himself that he was a Slytherin, and Slytherins were cunning and manipulative and did what they could to get what they wanted.

He mentally scoffed. Like that was any excuse.

"I see," her distant tone was a change from the usual.

This wasn't going the way he wanted, but he couldn't say he didn't expect the reaction. Instead of attempting to explain himself, he only watched her, waiting for a response.

"Watashi ni kusuri o oshiete," she whispered in her native tongue.

Blaise frowned at her, not liking- but again, not surprised- at what she was doing.

Akane could only frown even more, staying silent.

He could see her racing thoughts, expressions flickering wildly across her face. "If you want to leave, be my guest."

"I didn't say that I would."

"You look upset."

"Just confused."

Glancing down at the finished potion, he turned off the burner. He made a mental note to bottle some of this up later, when she wasn't looking. It could be useful.

"What now?" Akane watched him like a hawk.

"You still want to go through with it?" Blaise asked, actually surprised.

Walking cautiously towards him, "I didn't say that I wouldn't. But what will it do?"

He watched her for a moment. "Like I said, don't drink it. It reflects certain properties of Amortentia, so when you smell it, it'll represent what you're attracted to most. Or, in this case," Blaise explained. "Identify who your 'soulmate' is."

"Even if I don't know them?"

"Even if you don't know them," he assured, nodding.

"Alright… How long is it good for?"

"A month, I think."

"Good enough," she pulled out a few vials.

This alarmed him. "What? You're not drinking it, are you?"

"What happens if I do?" She reached for the ladle.

"It's a truth serum, Mikoshiba," Blaise said, dry. "But this one'll tell you things about yourself you don't even know."

"Lasting effects?"

He shook his head. "Unless you find something disturbing about yourself, no. If you drink it after the month's up, though, you might get sick."

"I see. Only a month," she scooped the mixture into four vials filling them three-fourths full.

Slightly concerned, Blaise chose not to voice his thoughts. He had already put her on edge when he got caught in his lie. Poking the girl's temperament anymore may not result in good things. Instead, he grabbed a few vials of his own and another ladle, pouring some for his own use.

"This could really ruin someone, couldn't it?"

Blaise offered a sharp nod. "Yeah, it could."

"You first," she gestured to the scent.

Watching her through slightly narrowed eyes, Blaise leaned down and breathed in the warm brew. Something distinctly sweet and familiar, but unplaceable, a hint of fresh air, and… something else, sweet, but different. Warm.

He blinked a few times, processing. There was no mistake: those scents, no matter how foreign to him, were distinctly Akane Mikoshiba.

He didn't let it show on his face, though. Gesturing to the cauldron, Blaise said, "You go."

"Who is it?" Akane asked before she got close enough to the purple potion.

"I'll tell you when the time comes," Blaise decided. It wouldn't do him any good to reveal the answer before she had her own.

"Right."

Carefully, Blaise watched as she leaned towards the potion.


	48. Chapter 48: The Truth

She leaned down to the brew and inhaled.

The smell of fresh water, perhaps a river or a lake? Then there was a 'city' scent, which baffled Akane seeing as the 'city' had a distinct smell. Then the one thing that was too prominent, it was that same aroma she smelled during Halloween. It was something that she couldn't ignore and looking up to Blaise Zabini, it seems like he couldn't either.

Expensive cologne.

Backing away from the cauldron, she plopped herself on the ground and waited for him to say something. Anything.

"Did you get an answer?"

"I think that you know that," she replied not entirely sure if she was all _there._ The revelation was just very shocking.

Blaise nodded. "Good. I won't ask."

After a moment she asked. "What happens now?"

"We confront the harem."

"Way ahead of you," she held up the encapsulated vials. "I planned to show them this, after _this._ "

Humming, Blaise made to move. "Good idea. I can clean up, if you want to head back."

The plan for food seemingly forgotten she had to mention it, "You wanna try some? I swear it's not poisoned."

He considered her for a moment before pulling over two chairs to the table adjacent. "Yeah, alright."

Akane was slightly pleased seeing as he was making an effort on his part, so she continued to do the same. Although things weren't perfect, they didn't have to be. As she took lids off the self heating containers, she pointed to each. Explaining her carefully thought out plan. Everything was vegetable or meat based, with the exception of dessert of course.

"And that is a ratatouille," she unveiled the last of them. "This is castella. For later."

"Looks good," he noted offhandedly.

"Which one would you like to try first?" She handed him a plate and utensils.

"You choose."

"Let's see, the ratatouille is one of my favorites. Then the lemon herb chicken, I've never made the squash spaghetti before so… "

Blaise looked across the table. "It's a lot of food."

"It's not _all_ for you." She joked. "I only ate a light brunch… I might've been too hungry while making this."

"Well, Mikoshiba," he cracked a small grin. "Let's see how you did."

"What?" she watched as he waited to be served, "this is a self service dinner."

"Shite, sorry. I've gotten accustomed to elves."

"It's no good to be dependent on them," she felt slightly bad about how they slaved their days away in the kitchens. "I can't imagine trying to feed the Hogwarts population."

He shrugged. "They claim they like to work, as long as they're treated well."

"I suppose," she scooped some of the chicken on her plate along with the spaghetti. "I wonder if this one will be good."

Mimicking her movements, Blaise put some food on his plate as well, but not nearly the amount that she did.

While she didn't mind trying the new dish, she wanted to wait and see his reactions. Perhaps he wouldn't like some of these things? What if he didn't? What if he suddenly found a new allergy in one of these dishes and he'd have an allergic reaction?

"Relax, Mikoshiba," he drawled, watching her. "I have family in Italy. These aren't completely foreign foods, I'll be okay."

"I'm just worried, that's all. Last thing I want is finding out that you are allergic to something," she fretted.

"I'll be fine," he reassured, amused. He took a careful bite of the spaghetti. "See? Still alive."

"How is it?"

"Very good. You're not taking any cooking classes on the side, are you?" he teased.

"No," Akane flashed him a smile. "It was a requirement back at Mahoutokoro. Self sufficiency is a good thing. But sometimes I can't imagine what some of the girls would've done if they didn't have those classes."

Blaise's brows furrowed. "Why only the girls? Blokes have got to eat too, don't they?"

"Heh," she shrugged. "You know. Gender roles are more… Prominent there. Hermione and Ginny would have a cow if they knew that it was to be expected of a women to give up their career in order to be a homemaker."

"Merlin," Blaise shook his head. "I know more than a few girls who'd get pissy hearing that."

"Why do you think I love quidditch so much?" She joked, "Defying social norms happens to be my specialty."

Sarcastically, he replied, "I would have never guessed."

"Whatever," she started to dig in her own meal. "You never told me- Kami!" Akane cursed forgetting that she left the water bottles in the bag. "Sorry," she handed him one. "I totally forgot this."

"Oh." Blaise seemed to have forgotten too. "Yeah, thanks."

"No problem, anyways." She fixed her chair, "you never told my why you and Ced are rivals."

"No? Well, I'm a very attractive bloke, obviously, and somehow, so is he. It's a sort of competition, at least to me," Blaise explained. "But I suppose he wins, being 'the golden boy, the son of Apollo,' or whatever."

"Golden boy," she smirked. "I can see the whole sort of son of Apollo, though. But he denies it."

Blaise snorted. "Of course he does, he's a Hufflepuff."

"So it's a vanity thing?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Knowing Ced, it's a one sided thing too." Akane mused.

Blaise deadpanned. "Yeah, I'm aware."

"But why are you threatened by him? Your fairly attractive as well," she didn't quite understand completely why he was still so hostile to Ced.

He paused in thought. "Really, Mikoshiba? You think so?" Blaise teased, then added, "it's the fame thing. The bloke isn't all that special."

"He's a sweet man," she defended her one time lover. "Although, I'm not excited to confront him about any of this."

"He'll get all pouty and sad," Blaise predicted. "He really is a dog."

"He's a good guy, whomever gets those two are really lucky." She watched as he sorta poked at his meal. "You alright?"

Blaise didn't meet her eyes. "Just thinking."

"About?"

"Stuff," he provided another vague reply.

"Why so secretive?"

He smirked at her. "It's part of the package deal."

"Package deal?" Her brow raised. "What exactly do I get in this _package deal?_ "

"Oh, little things," Blaise hummed and started listing things off. "My secrets, my problems, other people's problems I'm involved in, my horrible attitude. Stuff like that."

"Sounds _so_ attractive," she joked.

"Right?" Blaise joked along with her. "Then there's the _other_ package, but that comes later."

"Hentai man," she finished her plate.

"Not even gonna ask."

"Want me to translate?"

Blaise gave her an amused look. "Nah, I'm alright. I can guess."

"Then what did I say, Anata?"

"If Crabbe's porn stash is anything to go by," Blaise began, "then you called me a perv, or something."

"You seem a little _too_ interested in that stash of his." Akane smirked, but with a faux worry. "Should I be concerned?"

Snorting, Blaise shook his head firmly. "No, no. He just can't keep it hidden, it's always scattered all over the bloody floor. Plus, last year Drake dared me to read some, so."

"Really? How was it?"

"Disturbing. Crabbe's grossly kinky."

Amused she then asked, "and you aren't?"

"Fuck's sake no, not like _that._ Bloke's into tentacles."

Pulling a face she replied. "Those aren't pretty."

"No," Blaise shook his head again. "They aren't."

"I can't imagine how he even got those," she shook her head slightly disgusted.

"His father's a Death Eater," Blaise remarked. "He's… stolen a fair share of Muggle things."

"In Japan?" Akane was shocked.

Blaise frowned. "No, here. Japanese culture isn't trapped in _just_ Japan, you know."

"I just," she ruffled her hair. "I didn't realize that...Why didn't they tell any of us? About any of this?" Akane gestured to the social climates of wizarding Britain.

"Our Minister of Magic likes to keep things under the eyes of the media. I mean, some stuff happened last year, but there were several Death Eaters working for our government before then." He shrugged. "I'm not surprised word didn't spread."

"How did they find them?"

"Potter and his crew infiltrated the Ministry."

"Really? Harry?" Her bewilderment simply didn't stop, "How can this ministry let students infiltrate them? What kind of security is that?"

Again, Blaise shrugged. "A lot of people wondered the same thing. But they managed, and… well, some stuff happened. Several people got arrested, and the Ministry tried to build itself up again."

"Tried?" Akane looked at him incredulously. "Did they not succeed?"

"Personally, I think the whole thing's a bloody disaster," Blaise drawled. "There's a lot of social tension circling around the higher-ups."

"Must be tough," she disliked the pressures of society.

He shrugged. "It is what it is."

"What about you? Are you tied up in any of that?"

"Not exactly," Blaise replied. "I'm not one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, so my mum and I don't have any reason to put up a fight. Honestly, we're just trying to lay low."

"We?" Akane was still trying to digest information.

"Yeah, my mum and I, along with a lot of other Slytherin-rich families," Blaise explained. "If you're not with the Dark Lord, and you're not against him, you're kind of stuck in the middle."

"What about Harry? He, Hermione, and Ron? They're on the other side aren't they?"

Blaise scoffed. "Yeah, they are."

"What'll happen when war breaks out? It'll happen soon, I can feel it." Akane looked to the side.

Raising a brow, Blaise shook his head. "I don't know, and I don't want to. I'm probably going to bail and go with my mum to Italy."

Disheartened at his lack of heroicness, she had to remind herself that he was almost the epitome of Slytherin. Self preservation above all. "But what about everyone here?"

"Knowing the Gryffindors and their allies, they'll probably want to fight," Blaise guessed. "Slytherins, though, it depends."

"What do you think will happen?"

"Like I said, I don't think about it. My priority is not dying," Blaise said, dryly.

"How close… Do you think that it will happen soon?" Akane asked, truthfully.

Blaise took a deep sigh. "Ask Potter. He'll know, being at the center of it and all."

Worry took over her features, knowing that Harry had been stressed as of late. Meaning that it wouldn't be too long until the battle's begun. Where would she stand?

"It's getting late," Blaise abruptly stated. He set down his utensils.

"Eh? What about the castella?" She looked towards her cake.

Blaise glanced between his own plate and the dessert. "Right."

"Here," she began to pack up their dishes. "Would you be opposed to sharing it in the common room?"

"Normally I'd say no, but Pansy's gotten the betting pools going again, and I'd rather not be thrown in," he scoffed. "We can eat here, if you really want."

"Betting pools… I almost forgot," she scoffed. "Who's in the lead?"

"Diggory and Katsushi are tied."

"Ced and _him?_ I can see Ced, but why _him?_ "

Shrugging, Blaise answered, "'Cause he's your ex, I bet."

"Doesn't mean I'll get back with him," she sliced the cake.

"No," he agreed. "But it won't stop people from hoping."

"You sure you don't want to be thrown in? I'll bet on you and it's a guaranteed win." She smirk.

He simply looked at her. "So it's me, then?"

"The cologne was the biggest give away, I'm sure that you smelled something fairly distinctly 'me' as well."

"I was going to _wait,_ but yeah."

"Patience," she reminded him. "Was never a virtue of mine."

"No," he said. "But being me, a man of tact, a Slytherin, I wanted to see what those other bastards smelled first."

"Tact? Or just amusement?"

"Tact," he reassured. "I wanted to know who I had to hurt."

"Hurt?" She looked surprised.

Blaise took his final bite of cake, pushing his plate away, and stood. "I don't like to share."

"I figured that much," she scoffed. "Most people don't."

He shrugged and went over to their station, cleaning up. "Nope."

"Wait," she stood up as well. "What were you planning to do?"

"With what?" he asked.

"If you wanted to see them smell this," she held the vials up. "What was your plan?"

He only stared back at her. "Guess you'll never know, will you?"

"Hmmm." She crossed her arms, "I doubt you'd do something with a lot of blood, too messy. Potions is what you are very proficient at, poisons would be your strong suit. But how would you administer them?"

"You've got it all wrong," Blaise countered, amused. "I'd hire Crabbe and Goyle, have them knock whoever out, _then_ I'd administer the potion, and throw them down into the Chamber of Secrets."

"Crabbe and Goyle aren't exactly the brightest, what happens if they get caught and spill your secrets?"

"Polyjuice potion. It'll look like Crabbe and Goyle, but it'd probably be Drake and Theo."

"Theodore wouldn't do that," she shook her head. "He sounds too sensible."

Blaise tsked. "You've misjudged him. Besides, if Drake does it, he will too."

"I could care less about Katsushi, do whatever you want with him. But leave Ced and Cor alone, they wouldn't deserve _that_ plan of yours." She put everything back into the bag, ever so neatly.

He acknowledged her words. "Katsushi it is, then."

"Good," she muttered. "Kare wa ataisuru mono o erudarou."

"Again, not gonna ask."

"He'll get what he deserves." She replied somewhat malicious.

Blaise only smirked.

"You seem too happy about that?" Akane eyed him suspiciously.

"It's been awhile since I got involved in stuff like this," he responded, a tad eager.

"Whatever makes you happy-" she froze slightly as she forgot about her arm, which she accidentally brushed her other hand against.

His eyes flickered down to her arm. "What was that?"

"Nothing," her reply a tad too quick. "I just forgot about something, that's all."

"Sure," he shot back, but by the tone in his voice, it was obvious he didn't buy it.

"What?" Akane tried to push down her defenses.

He continued to watch her. "Don't fake it. You're acting like Theo after a bad summer. What was that?"

"Theo after a bad summer?" She joked closing her eyes knowing that he'd probably call her lie out even more. "What made it so bad?"

Blaise wasn't impressed. "Don't change the topic."

Akane could feel him closing in on what she was trying to do, her aversions weren't working. _Kuso_ "I'm not-"

"Katsushi?" he asked, eyes narrowed.

"No. He didn't," she defended Tomoda's face like usual. "It's just quidditch practice. Stray bludger."

Blaise just gave her a _Really?_ look.

"Can we not talk about _this_?" She didn't want to remember Tomoda's face with Katsushi's cruelty.

"Fine," he said, finishing packing.

"Blaise," she stumbled slightly. "I'm sorry I just. Not now…"

He simply shoved the pouch in his pocket. "Later."

"Later." Akane agreed. But hopefully not too soon.

A pause. Blaise moved towards the door. "Are you done?"

"Yes." She picked up the bag with her other arm and followed.

He lead the way, quiet.

While she didn't try to start a conversation, seeing as it could lead back to Katsushi. So she simply tried not to glance in his direction.

But she couldn't help but to ask to no one in particular, "When will I get Ced and Cor to smell these?" Then looked to the other two vials, "Daphne would probably like one."

"She would," Blaise agreed.

"What will you do with your's?"

Blaise shrugged. "I'm not sure yet."

"What class do we have tomorrow?"

"First is Transfiguration, I think."

"With who? The Gryffs?"

Blaise supplied a nod.

"Damn, then it's D.A.D.A. I wonder if we're dueling again?"

"Dunno, probably."

"Who do you think you'll get paired up with this time?"

"Maybe Diggory, maybe Macmillan." His replies were curt.

"Sour all of the sudden," she noted.

"Tired," he claimed.

"Alright, I've got to stop by the kitchens. I'll see you tomorrow?" Akane asked as if it were really a question.

Blaise nodded again. "Yeah, yeah." He walked off towards the dungeons.

"Goodbye," she waved quietly unsure if he had heard her. Seeing as he didn't do any sort of response, she assumed he didn't.

As she entered the kitchens, she found Tippy finish the dishes. Not wanting to burden her even further Akane insisted that she'd at least dry the containers. The work was short and fairly easy, because with one snap of Tippy's fingers the containers were put away neatly after she had dried them. Looking at her empty bag, and considered leaving it. Just in case she wanted to make something else she wouldn't have to carry it through the halls again.

It was a lazy act. But it saved time.

As she bid her adieu, Akane saw out of the corner of her eyes shadows. Not liking a single bit of it she quickly casted a luminos to reveal a walking skirt. It happened to be Padma, her more reserved Ravenclaw friend.

Akane knew that a simple wave would suffice. As she continued walking, Akane couldn't help but notice that Padma's steps were going at the same pace as her own. Turning slightly she saw as Padma no less than a meter away.

"Padma?"

A flick later, Akane knew that this was no ordinary Padma Patil. She was too much a pacifist to try even lifting her wand against someone. A few small booms later, Akane didn't have any reservations of shooting back.

"Padma! What's gotten into you?" Akane tried to reason out not wanting to hurt her.

The British-Indian girl didn't reply verbally but her smirk was all Akane needed to know. Either this was a fraud or Padma was possessed. Hoping that it was the first but not taking the chance she casted. "Motsure."

Her reflexes were _too_ good to be Padma. She and the Ravenclaw weren't buddy buddy but they were close enough for Akane to know that Padma disliked any form of exercise. There was no way that this was Patil.

"Konran!" Patil's voice didn't match up either. That and this spell was in Japanese.

"Katsushi gata no utaimasu!" She cussed at him with a sneer. "Katto!"

"Bakufu." He yelled not aiming for her but something near her. Suddenly gas surrounded her and knowing his love for potions as well, she covered her mouth and dispersed the fog as quickly as she could conjure. "Katto!" She sent another cutting hex towards him, effectively slicing the side of his leg.

She knew that they were equal when it came to dueling and for moment she was glad that Katsushi wasn't in his regular form. Otherwise she'd have trouble beating him if it became physical. "Motsure! Chinmoku! Bosukaijosuru!" She sent a tangle, silence, and disarming spell with an array of colors. Luckily he wasn't able to dodge all three, getting caught by the disarming spell. Akane ran for the wand.

Surprisingly she was tackled to the ground by Padma's body, but with Katsushi's reflexes. "Yameru," she ground out as Akane tried to wrestle him to the ground. "You've lost, Katsushi."

With one smirk later, she was caught by surprise as firecrackers went off.

"Teme!" She screamed at Katsushi was able to throw her off during her surprise. As she crouched down and prepared for another round of spells, she wasn't prepared to see her shoes stuck on the floor. "Kuso. Tsumaranai!" She cast at her feet angry that this was costing her an extra second that could be used for his capture or her escape.

"Always the smart one, Tenshi." His voice slithered uncharacteristically in Padma's body. "Unfortunately for you, I know you too well."

"You know nothing," she then cast a flurry of birds to attack. "Tori no kageki!"

"Shirudo," Katsushi blocked the attack. "U~ōtāburasutā" Blasting water to her whole person with a strong force.

Angry and soaking wet she conjured the breath of black fire. "Yakedo."

"Kuso," he dodged but barely. Getting parts of his robe burnt in the process, "Did you learn that in _those scrolls?_ " He jeered.

"Kuroi kizuato!" She sent a series of dark spells towards him, if caught he'd have cut all over his body. The only way for them to heal is the old muggle way.

"Kami no tate!" He used white magic in order to stop her own, although it wasn't strong enough as he got cut near the left arm. Her emotions were running rampant and her magic was flaring, there would be no way for her to lose because of her spells.

"Akumanokisu!" She yelled the devil's kiss, hoping that he'd be unable to say anything coherent for the rest of his life.

"Shiroi kaki!" He shoved her back with the wind.

"Katto!"

"Akuma no hokaku!" He casted below her and a series of intricate patterns glowed up in a matter of milliseconds. She couldn't even say her last cuss word before she was kneeling down, restrained in every possible way. "You're not the only one who knows dark magic, Tenshi."

"I hate you." She spat, struggling to reach her wand with no avail.

"We'll see about that soon." Padma's smirk was so uncharacteristic it made Akane want to throw up.

Suddenly she was teleported to a dark place. A cold and damp place. A place that spooked her more than she'd like to admit. _Forbidden Forest._

"Now let's get down to business, Tenshi." Katsushi smiled in a sadistic way.

The last thing she could hear was a silencing charm around them and her screams.


	49. Chapter 49: Plans

The events of the previous night swarmed around his mind like an undying plague. Blaise had been an arse, but Akane moved past that. He had lied straight to her face, but she still went through with his plan. Their conversation moved in wave-like lulls, up and down and back again. It was confusing, but somehow fitting to their unique relationship.

Blaise was glad he got an answer, though he wasn't quite sure how to feel about it. The potion had only confirmed something he had barely started to accept, and now it had been thrown in his lap, staring him right in the face.

Akane was _good._ She was kind, and she cared, and she had a decent sense of humor. She was quick with spells and possessed a strong curiosity that Blaise could appreciate- most of the time. She put forth the effort to understand him, which was nice. Not a lot of people did that anymore.

Did Blaise love her? Not yet.

It was harsh to say but it was the truth. He _liked_ her, sure, but he didn't quite trust her completely. Love was something slow and difficult, Blaise knew that, but if he'd learned anything from his mum, love was fleeting. It hadn't hit him, so he wasn't going to push it. He didn't want to force his relationship with Akane to be something it wasn't, and it was clear that the girl still held regards for Diggory and McLaggen.

It made sense, and he supposed it would in the long run, but now? Blaise was more confused than anything else. So, he turned to a constant for support.

Draco had woken up sometime in the middle of the night with curses of agony, effectively waking up everyone else in the Hospital Wing. Pomfrey had been trying to change his bandages, but the blond would snap anytime she came close, still paranoid over her seeing the mark on his arm.

"Blasted witch," Draco scowled. He tried crossing his arms but immediately halted, as the splinch on his torso was still healing. "I don't trust her."

"You don't trust anyone," Theo noted, still sitting in that same seat, almost appearing worse for wear than the injured student beside him.

Growling, Draco grabbed the glass of water that had been placed on his nightstand and took a swig. "You've got a look on your face, Blaise," he stated. "Speak."

Blaise pulled out one of the vials from his pocket. He tossed it to Theo, who caught it with waiting palms. "I did some research," Blaise announced, gesturing to the potion. "That's the _Soul-Cleanse Solution."_

Theo held it up and observed it appreciatively. "It's rare."

"Yeah, it is," Blaise agreed.

"Is it dangerous?" Draco asked, intrigued.

Blaise only gave him a look. "What do you think?

"I don't know, _Blaise,"_ the blond snapped. "I've been out cold for three _sodding days,_ I'm a little behind on things, wouldn't you say?"

However, Theo replied for him. "It's similar to Veritaserum, but not quite the same." He passed the vial to Draco, whose scowl only deepened at the dark purple liquid. "It smells like Amortentia, and it reveals the soul's deepest thoughts and desires."

Blaise nodded. "Yeah, it does."

"So?" Draco asked, ever the foul attitude. "What'd you learn?"

"Smells like the New Girl," Blaise answered. He braced himself, preparing for their predictably dramatic reactions.

"Mikoshiba?" Draco clarified. " _Really?_ Her?"

"She's not so bad," Theo said.

Draco frowned. "Well, no. She's no Pansy, but… that's a bit surprising. I didn't think you liked her like that."

"Me neither," Blaise retorted.

Theo asked next, "What are you going to do about it?"

 _Good question._ Blaise honestly didn't have an answer. He was typically the flirt-and-fling type, and the closest thing he'd had to a real relationship was with Padma, all that time ago. But even then, that wasn't a _relationship,_ and they ended up being rather good friends.

Could he handle a relationship with Akane? Probably.

Did he _want_ a relationship with her? Maybe in the future, but not now. The tension between her harem was still uneasy, not to mention the fact that the girl had a sodding _harem._ Blaise has said it before and he'll say it again: he's not willing to share.

"Seeing as you look as lost as Weasley in Potions," Draco drawled. "Let me try and help. Do you like her?"

"She's decent."

" _What_ do you like about her?"

Blaise thought for a moment. "She's smart, and quick. Witty, sometimes. She's good at quidditch." _She tries. She makes the effort. She cares._

Theo this time. "What do you not like about her?"

"She's nosy. I don't trust her completely." He was basically reciting to himself what he already knew, and he couldn't see how this was helpful. Leave it to the two most unlikely contenders to try and counsel him in romance. "She's too… everything else."

"Not Slytherin enough, you mean?" Draco asked. Blaise nodded. "Remember, Zabini, she was put into our house for a reason. I don't care for her, personally, but I know a Snake when I see one."

Shrugging, Blaise said, "She cares too much."

"Caring is a good thing, sometimes," Theo pointed out. "I know you say you don't. But it's good that she does."

He frowned, not wanting to hear anymore. He appreciated the effort, but there were things he needed to consider. It was nice to know that the two didn't judge him for it, though.

Subtly, Draco glanced up and down the Hospital Wing. Pomfrey had retreated into her office and the single other student- a second year Hufflepuff with the flu- was asleep. The blond still lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, reminding Blaise a bit of Pansy. "Theo and I've been talking."

Blaise wasn't sure what to expect from the duo anymore. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Draco nodded. "Before you came in, actually."

"Thanks for clarifying."

The blond huffed. Theo jumped in. "Draco, Pansy, and I are going to run away."

A beat.

"What?" Blaise couldn't hold back the surprise in his voice. "When?"

"Winter break," Draco answered. "This whole 'Death Eater thing' clearly isn't working out." He gestured between the two of them. "I'm not having fun, Theo's not having fun, and Pansy's just _worried,_ which is all sorts of strange. So we're going to run away."

"Just you three?"

Draco hummed. "Well, if you hadn't figured it out, this was an invitation. We're also considering talking to the Greengrass sisters, and I think Pansy went to Bulstrode. Crabbe and Goyle are a bit daft, honestly, so I think they'll be fine."

"Pucey's graduating," Theo added.

This was quite a turn, and it took Blaise a moment to process. He knew Draco was struggling with his task- the evidence was visible- but he didn't think they'd actually bail. Blaise was planning to with his mum, but from the sound of it, his friends were planning on leaving everything behind.

"Where will you go?" The words spilled out. He was sounding rather unlike himself and more like a certain female, but he couldn't help it.

"The States," Theo supplied. "We don't know where yet."

" _How?_ "

"Apparition won't work," Draco frowned, choosing this time to poke at this bandages. "It's too far, and I'm not taking risks."

Theo continued. "We're going to fly into New York."

"On a _Muggle_ plane?"

Draco's frown deepened and his lip curled with displeasure. "Yes, a Muggle plane."

"Bloody hell," Blaise cursed, struggling to imagine Draco boarding the cramped metal-death trap.

"There are a lot of things we need to do beforehand," Theo said. "So if you want to come with, just let us know before break."

Blaise offered a bewildered nod. "Yeah, yeah."

Now he had another issue at hand. Would he abandon his education here to avoid the incoming war? Would fleeing with some of his closest- and only- friends be the best choice?

It's not like he had many others.

Something held him back from agreeing on the spot. "I'll think about it."

The two offered matching nods.

* * *

He first noticed that something was wrong when Akane didn't show up to Transfiguration. Her Gryffindor friends seemed equally bewildered, but McGonagall didn't leave much room for discussion, immediately diving into the lesson.

McLaggen confronted him after class.

"Where's Akane?" the heathen nearly shouted. His breath smelled atrocious, but this was not the time to comment on it.

Blaise offered McLaggen a judgmental look. "How would I know?"

McLaggen tried to shove him to make a point, but Blaise sidestepped him before he could. "Did you do something to her?"

"Fuck no, why would I?"

"You're in this as much as the rest of us," McLaggen growled, resembling a true beast. "I don't trust you, Zabini."

Blaise shrugged. "Good. Feeling's mutual."

"I know you were with her last night."

Blinking, Blaise set aside his instinct to insult. "Smart boy. But I didn't do anything to her."

"Did you walk her back to the common room?"

"I'm not a babysitter, and Mikoshiba's mature enough to handle herself," Blaise scowled. At McLaggen's angered expression, Blaise added, "No. She said she had to stop by the kitchens, so we went our separate ways."

The Gryffindor was two beats away from exploding. "You left her-"

"Of course I did," Blaise snarled. "She told me about Japan's gender bias. Unlike you, McLaggen, I'm not going to shove my chivalry down her throat. She's a big girl."

McLaggen only let loose a grunt. "Sod off, Zabini. You're helping me find her."

"Yeah, I figured," Blaise sighed. As much as he hated being around the heathen, Blaise had to admit: if McLaggen didn't know where Akane went, would Diggory? Would _anyone?_

Turns out Diggory didn't know either.

"Sorry, Zabini," Diggory frowned. "I haven't seen her since yesterday."

"McLaggen's in a right mood about it," Blaise noted.

Diggory only looked back at him. "Rightly so. Aren't you?"

"Yeah, but-"

"She's missed two classes in a row," Diggory pointed out. "And you were at the hospital wing earlier, you said. Was she there?"

Troubled by this, Blaise replied, "No."

"Something's wrong," Diggory concluded. "This isn't like her."

It wasn't, and Blaise knew the implications, but it didn't make teaming up with one-half of the harem to do something about it any more appealing. Akane had mentioned a fourth, but Blaise hadn't been focusing on that at the time and didn't ask. That left one member of their makeshift group, and it left a bad taste, knowing Akane didn't willingly give this piece of information away.

Blaise and Diggory ended up meeting with McLaggen outside of the Great Hall at lunch, and McLaggen's mood had soured considerably. His jaw and fists were clenched, muscles tensed, clearly on edge. He paced around the corridor and nearly leapt when spotting them.

"It's that bastard Katsushi," McLaggen blurted, glaring in the direction of the Great Hall. "I had Apparition with him, and he wore that sodding smirk the entire period."

"I don't trust him," Blaise stated, probably for the fortieth time.

Diggory shook his head. "I don't either. Did you talk to him?"

"I bloody well tried! But the sod kept Apparating away every time I came up to him, like it was some sort of game," McLaggen spat. He was nearly seething, skin burning red with rage.

"What about Harry, or any of them?" Diggory asked instead. "Did you ask them?"

McLaggen huffed. "I did on the way here. They haven't seen her either."

"Well shite," Diggory cursed, a rare sight. "I'll tell Dumbledore." He darted into the Hall at a brisk pace, startling a few underclassmen exiting the doors.

McLaggen turned to him, eyes ablaze. "What are _you_ going to do, Zabini?"

Suddenly, Blaise remembered what he told Akane last night before things got quiet with her obvious lie and the shielding of her arm.

" _What was your plan?"_

" _Guess you'll never know, will you?"_

" _Hmmm. I doubt you'd do something with a lot of blood, too messy. Potions is what you are very proficient at, poisons would be your strong suit. But how would you administer them?"_

" _You've got it all wrong. I'd hire Crabbe and Goyle, have them knock whoever out, then I'd administer the potion, and throw them down into the Chamber of Secrets."_

Crabbe and Goyle weren't around, but McLaggen was, and this time, Blaise had a target.

"I think," he began, catching McLaggen's rabid gaze. "I'm going to go _take care_ of someone, if you'd like to help."

McLaggen gladly agreed, and the two charged into the Great Hall, eyes set on a certain Tomoda Katsushi.


	50. Chapter 50: The Forest

She shivered as the night wore on, then the fog rolled in with the sunrise. Regardless, it was bloody November in the Forbidden Forest with nothing but her sweater to keep her warm. _Not that it would do much anyways_ , she scowled as it was still damp and cut by fucking Katsushi.

Torture was something Akane considered to be below her, especially after she felt it for two hours straight. Yet, _once I get my hands on him he'll wish he stayed with the whore in Japan._

Akane found it ridiculous as she was still trapped in the Devil's Trap, that he had felt the need to bind her with rope. _Really_ , as if she could escape? Bloody bastard took her wand too, so that even if she did find a way to get out of this trap she wouldn't be able to find her way out or signal for help.

Knowing that this forest was dangerous and forbidden for a reason, she waited for the moment for something to come and eat her. With the amount of blood on the ground she knew that it would be fairly soon, after she read that wolves are most likely to move during the night into early morning.

Hearing the wolf howls brought a chill to her bones. Even more so when they got closer. Akane panicked, fearing that she'd die in a painful way Akane tried for the last time to scramble. Hoping that something, anything would work.

In her attempts to struggle out of the rope she couldn't help but wonder how in blazes would she get the hell out of the magical portion of this? The only way was to cast the counter spell which only she knew because she read those scrolls. If someone just _happened_ to stumble upon her then she'd be lucky if they'd be able to recite the incantation.

Something whizzed next to her, glancing at the arrow Akane's eyes frantically looked for the source. Then another came by narrowly missing her but hitting the ropes, then another. Akane couldn't help but wonder if this was a threat or a savior.

Blond was the first thing that she saw. A very bright, sunbleached, almost Draco Malfoy blond-blond. Then this person's build, to which she saw that her unknown ally was no person but a centaur. _Even scarier_ , Akane felt her blood freeze just like everything else in her body. Centaurs didn't like humans, not even the slightest bit. _Will they use me as the next sacrifice?_

One more well aimed arrow, and her feet were no longer bound by the ropes but what about the magic? She watched as the centaur's brilliant blue eyes examined the circle she was centered in. He spoke something, unsure of what it was she braced herself for the worst. The circle glowed even brighter than before and even with her eyes closed it hurt.

"Are you alright?" Akane looked up to see how tall this centaur was, and with her arse aching on the ground she was awed.

"Yes… Thank you," she hesitated unsure if he had mood swings similar to an Italian she knew.

"What happened to you?" He got right to the point, observing as she wobbled her way up.

"I was…" She choked slightly on her words. "Kidnapped and tortured." It wasn't the torture that had hurt. Or the trickery of what he did. But it was because of their face that Akane was emotionally torn. She knew Katsushi was cruel and horrible, but never sadistic enough to actually do something like this. Not to her.

"Are you from Hogwarts?" The centaur watched her and her emotions as they were clear as day on her face.

"Yes." She sniffled only able to use one arm to try to hold herself, seeing as the other was uselessly bloody at the moment. "Can you tell me how to get back, please?"

"I can take you, but it is already daylight. My kind doesn't take it kindly to humans, night would be safer to travel." He then offered the battered and bruised girl a smile. "I am Firenze."

"I'm Akane," she smiled unsure. "I would shake your hand but I…" she gestured to her limp arm.

"It's nothing to worry about… Do you know who did this to you?"

"I wish I hadn't," Akane looked at him with bleary eyes. "If we won't move now, where should I stay and wait?"

"Will you be alright?" Firenze looked at her wounds. "If I'm correct there are a few herbs that would prevent infections but they are not in this general vicinity. Do you think you'll be able to make the trip?"

"I think so." She nodded ready to walk however far she needed to in order to get away from this place she was in.

"Here," he knelt down. "Get on."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm offering."

"Thank you," Akane replied honestly. She heard the saying that you don't bite the hand that feeds you, yet as she got on she couldn't help but wonder why he was helping her.

"I carry my own ideals," he replied. "Many of my kind don't think that humans are worthy. But I don't think like them."

"Why is that?" Akane blurted out. "Sorry, I don't mean to ask so many questions."

"It's fine, but I will answer that another time. Now, we must get those herbs and you to safety."

"Thank you, Firenze."

"You're welcome, now don't fall off." Firenze flashed her a smile that Lavender would probably squeal about.

The duo eventually made it to the opening that was deemed safe enough by Firenze. He showed her the specific herbs and plants that would aid in her healing and claimed to be back a little after sundown. He made it a point for her to not leave the general area otherwise there might be imminent danger lurking.

Akane watched his retreating figure and waved back to him reassuring she'd be fine, or that's what she hoped. As she picked a few of the herbs and extracted the liquid that had been inside, she rubbed it lightly against the open cuts. Making a sound because of how badly it stung so incredibly much. Biting her lip to stifle the sounds Akane continued to disinfect the wounds.

"Limbs are better than no limbs at all," Akane chanted to herself as she looked at the largest laceration on her arm. "Kami. Kami. Kami." she had a few more of the herbs left and hoped that it would be good enough. She _really_ wasn't feeling another trip outside of her makeshift shelter.

Boredom and the stinging sensation took over, then perhaps hunger but what would she knew about this forest? If anything, she'd probably pick the wrong berry and kill herself. As she continued to count the leafs in the tree, Akane couldn't help but wonder what she'd do with Katsushi once she got back.

Knowing that it'd only be just and right for him to go to Azkaban or at least get banished from any sort of wizarding community. Somehow in her head, she still held her reservations. Akane was so stuck on the fact that perhaps, just perhaps he'd go back to how he used to be. Although it was so entirely obscure now, especially after she was practically left in the Forbidden Forest left to either die by something here or die when he came back for another round of her torture.

 _Blaise._ His name popped into her mind. _I wonder what he's doing right about now._ She couldn't imagine Cedric or Cormac _not_ freaking out at her sudden disappearance. Blaise? Perhaps he would, internally. Not publically, he just wasn't like that.

 _I wonder if he'd figure it out_ , she questioned. It wasn't that Ced or Cor weren't smart, they just didn't think on this level of cunning or conniving yet, while Blaise had already demonstrated that and even admitted to it not too long ago.

As she waited for the bloody sun to set, she thought about the impending war. The war the would most likely tear this wizarding society apart. Knowing her friends, they would undoubtedly fight against this Dark Lord. They were very much a do or die sort of bunch and perhaps she was like them too, in that sense.

Slytherin was probably the wrong house for her. It simply had to be the wrong house for her. Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, hell even Gryffindor suited her better. But she was placed in Slytherin, the single house that everyone agrees that she's not fit for.

Although she would probably fight alongside her friends, Akane knew her chances of survival would be slim. But every soldier counted, even in their death. After all, it only takes one wand to change everything.

Too wrapped up in her thoughts, Akane didn't notice that Firenze was standing next to her. Waiting to see if she would wake up from her own day thoughts, he decided that it took too long.

"Hello," he coughed slightly. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, thank you Firenze." She smiled at her unexpected savior. "How about you?"

"Things are as to be expected, my colony isn't too happy about the scent of humans being near them but anything with humans displeases them."

"It sounds like my housemates, anything that isn't Slytherin makes them more or less upset." She scoffed at a few specific people. "If anything I'm not even a Slytherin at heart, I shouldn't even be worried."

"But you are." Firenze pointed out while lowering to his knees.

"I am," she frowned as she hopped on.

Firenze continued to walk cautiously through the forest, silently while letting her get a good view of the whole place. Not too many kilometers later, Akane gasped.

"Unicorns!"

"Yes," Firenze chuckled slightly. "They say that they're the purest of creatures, but I think that they're just regular creatures. Their appearance is something that most people associate with 'light' so I suppose that's how they derived it from pure."

"They're very beautiful." Akane looked at the creatures as they galloped from place to place, glowing.

"You like them that much?"

"I don't see them every other day, Firenze."

"I suppose." He paused for a moment taking in his surroundings. "We should reach the school's edge by the end of the night."

"Sounds," she yawned. "Good."

"You may sleep, it must've been an exhausting time for you." Firenze offered.

"I can't thank you enough," Akane leaned against his back ready to close her eyes. "I'll make it up to you… Somehow."


	51. Chapter 51: Not a Role Model

Warning for violence and dark!Blaise! (and language, as usual)

* * *

The door to the second-floor girl's lavatory swung open with a loud thud, and slammed shut with an equally loud bang. Blaise pushed Katsushi farther into the room, causing the other male to bump into the circle of sinks.

"Isn't this a girl's-"

"Shut _up,"_ McLaggen snapped, cracking his knuckles. He glared at the newest Ravenclaw with a burning hatred, teeth bared. "Where is she?"

"Who?" Katsushi asked. He smiled innocently like he didn't know what he did, and Blaise clenched his jaw. He'd let McLaggen go first; Blaise's turn would come later.

McLaggen charged at the grinning bastard and punching him in the jaw. Katsushi was slow- almost too slow, Blaise had seen him play quidditch, he knew Katsushi was doing this for theatrics- and landed against a mirror, causing it to crack. "Akane," McLaggen growled.

Smirking, Katsushi pushed himself and cocked his head. "Akane Mikoshiba? Oh, I wouldn't know."

Fury became McLaggen. The male charged once again, effectively body-slamming the Ravenclaw against the porcelain plumbing. " _Tell me!"_

Katsushi let out a grunt, but the answer they wanted wasn't given. McLaggen punched him again, this time in the stomach.

So crude, no tact. A plain disaster. Blaise critiqued the fighting performance in his mind, keeping a watchful eye on the brawling pair. It was strange, how Katsushi didn't punch back. Blaise had an idea why, but he didn't put a halt to McLaggen's rage.

If Katsushi didn't punch back, then he could claim they ambushed him, placing them as the bad guys. Of course, if it were McLaggen, there'd be fair judgment, but since Blaise was there- Merlin forbid, a _Slytherin-_ the bias would skew in Katsushi's favor.

McLaggen landed another punch, and from the uncomfortable _crack,_ Blaise guessed that the Gryffindor dislocated the Ravenclaw's shoulder.

They weren't going to find Akane at this rate. Katsushi only seemed to enjoy it too much. In fact, the bloke started cackling, taking punch after punch, grinning wide and sporting a split lip.

"Where is she?" McLaggen tried again, holding Katsushi by his blue and bronze tie.

Still smirking, Katsushi heaved out, "I don't know w-what you're talking about."

Growling, McLaggen drew back his fist in preparation for another blow, but Blaise took a step away from the wall and cleared his throat. "McLaggen."

The Gryffindor dropped Katsushi and the he slumped against the sinks, beaten and bruised. McLaggen flashed Blaise a wild look, eyes wide, still ready to fight. The two exchanged a look and McLaggen took a reluctant step back, allowing Blaise to step forward.

Blaise withdrew his wand and pointed it at Katsushi.

"Oh, Zabini, you too? I thought you weren't one of _them."_

Right, he never revealed his actual part in the whole scheme of things.

"What do you plan to do?" Katsushi continued to taunt him. "Want to land a few punches, too?"

Blaise still didn't do anything, listening to this demon of a man babble.

"Insult me? Poison me?" Katsushi laughed. "Scratch me? I've got a few spells for that, if you'd find Akane you'd see my work-"

" _Crucio."_

Katsushi immediately sank to the floor, whining in agony. McLaggen shoved at Blaise's shoulder, astonished.

"Zabini!" McLaggen exclaimed. "That's a bloody _unforgivable!"_

Blaise simply stared back, unfazed. "And?"

"You- that-"

"Pull yourself together, McLaggen," Blaise snapped, ignoring Katsushi's obvious pain. "Do something useful and cast a bloody Silencing charm, will you?"

Skeptical, McLaggen took a step away from the Slytherin and went about putting up protective wards around the lavatory.

After a few heavy moments, Katsushi inhaled a shuddering breath and spit out, " _Fuck_ you." He glared up at Blaise with narrowed eyes.

"Where's Akane?" Blaise asked, keeping his voice in control. It wouldn't do to have him lose all sense of self like McLaggen did. He kept his hand outstretched, wand pointed at the spot between Katsushi's eyes.

Katsushi scowled. "Like I'd tell you."

" _Crucio."_

McLaggen audibly swallowed from somewhere behind him. The two of them stood over Katsushi, waiting for the second round of intense pain to end. Katsushi revived himself with a spluttering gasp, struggling to push himself up but failing repeatedly.

"Do you know where we are, Katsushi?" Blaise drawled. There was no way Katsushi would know, unless he took his Ravenclaw spirits to heart and vanished into the library for hours on end. But seeing as Katsushi had spent more time terrorizing Akane and playing a foul game of quidditch, Blaise guessed that was a no.

Katsushi grimaced. "A fucking girl's bathroom-"

"Almost," Blaise shook his head and tsked. "No, behind you is the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets."

"What the fuck is-"

" _Crucio."_

McLaggen shook his head, distressed. "Zabini, she's not going to like this-"

"Shut up," Blaise cut him off. "I don't care." A lie, but he wasn't going to tell that to the heathen. McLaggen didn't need to know, not now.

Tensing, McLaggen struggled to form a grip on his own wand. "You could _kill_ him."

"Who are you, Diggory? Get over it," Blaise snapped. "This little twat deserves to die."

Through his pain, Katsushi barked out a laugh.

"Ready to speak now, are we?" Blaise asked. He didn't have the patience to listen to this bastard's backtalk, so he reached into his back pocket and found one of several vials. Blaise held it up to the light, pleasing at the almost shining deep purple. "McLaggen, keep his mouth open."

McLaggen had started to lock up, his initial brawn fading into something much weaker. "What is that?"

" _Open his fucking mouth,"_ Blaise hissed. Hurrying forward, McLaggen grabbed Katsushi's swollen jaw and forced his lips apart, allowing Blaise to pour the vial's contents into the Ravenclaw's mouth.

Katsushi snapped his jaw shut as soon as McLaggen let go, gagging on the potion. He tried to puke it back up to no avail. Blaise waited only a moment before interrogating the man.

"What did you do to her?"

Katsushi's voice oozed out like blood from a wound, spilling fast. "I tied her up and cut her, and I took her wand."

McLaggen's severe alarm did not go unnoticed, but Blaise ignored the Gryffindor's presence. "Where did you take her?"

"The Forbidden Forest. I left her in a Devil's Trap."

Blaise shot a glare back at McLaggen and jerked his chin towards the door. "Go." Stumbling over his own feet, McLaggen almost tripped on his way out of the door. Once gone, the door fell shut unnaturally, leaving the two alone.

"Good boy," Blaise drawled. "Why did you do this?"

"I was jealous. I wanted her for myself."

"Do you love her?"

Katsushi paused. It seemed the Soul-Cleanse Solution was doing its proper work. "No." Another pause. "I did, but I don't anymore."

 _Good._ Blaise continued to glower down at the battered Ravenclaw, determined to end his one-man party once and for all. He reiterated, "Tell me again why."

"Akane's my possession." Katsushi's words sounded as though he were speaking them, but his voice carried an eerie monotone. "If I can't have her, no one can."

"Disgusting," Blaise spat. He took a step back from Katsushi and gave the mess of a man a onceover. There wasn't much left for Blaise to do here. He'd done what he meant to do. He sent McLaggen to find Akane, and hopefully Diggory would be out there, too, scouring the forest for her.

Blaise wasn't a role model. He certainly wasn't a good person, either. Akane deserved someone better, someone good. Someone like Diggory or McLaggen, who'd fight for her with strong hearts and clean minds. Blaise didn't have a clean mind. He would've cast _Crucio_ after _Crucio_ if he hadn't remembered the vial he stuck in his back pocket for backup use. McLaggen's reaction said it all: there was something wrong with Blaise, morally. And he knew that. Blaise embraced it.

If the situation would've called for it, Blaise would have murdered Katsushi, standing over him like a self-proclaimed god among men. If he knew parseltongue, Blaise would have opened the Chamber and shut Katsushi in, locking the Ravenclaw in a life-long prison.

Blaise, however, did neither of those things.

That wasn't exactly a redeeming quality, though.

He neared the door, still watching Katsushi with narrowed eyes, _Obliviate_ weighing heavy on his tongue. Instead of casting the memory-wiping charm, though, Blaise turned around and left Katsushi behind, exiting the bathroom and taking steps into the corridor.

He figured he'd done enough damage.

Taking a deep breath, Blaise prepared to walk the stretch to the Forbidden Forest and aid in the Akane manhunt. Perhaps he'd work with McLaggen and Diggory this final time before Akane had them smell the potions and the truth was revealed.

She had a point. They weren't _awful._ They were just… inconvenient.

If Blaise wasn't Blaise, he might've considered them allies.

Blaise didn't get very far in his trek. Rounding the corner of the corridor, he came face to face with a disappointed Dumbledore and a stern Snape.


	52. Chapter 52: Found

"Firenze," Akane woke up from her nap. "Where are… We." She was now looking at a bunch of wolves. Not the kind that started with humans being bitten, no these were the kind that were actual descendants of dogs. Seeing as they were sorely outnumbered and that she was disabled and only a liability, she didn't know what she could do to help.

"Stay low on my back, and whatever you do don't run." He instructed, carefully picking out his arrows watching as the wolves snarled viciously.

"Okay," Akane then held herself to the main part of his body. As the vicious dogs attacked she was being thrown side to side by Firenze's movements. Not that she could complain much, it was better than being alone and helpless. Although it was difficult every time he swayed from the left to the right in order to avoid major bite marks, she only had one useful arm.

"Ai!" She screamed as one almost bit her leg. Firenze growled with frustration seeing as he didn't _want_ to kill them but they were being too persistent. If he didn't start shooting for their heads or their hearts, they would die.

"Hold on," Firenze ground his teeth as one bit his back ankle. Suddenly he dashed out of there as quickly as he could, while Akane could only hope to stay on. A few hundred meters later, Firenze was exhausted. Travel at night wasn't easy but it wasn't impossible, yet battles with these beasts also proved to be difficult while preventing the girl from falling.

"Hey Firenze." Akane knew what was most likely going to happen.

"Huh?" He breathed heavily.

"You're one hell of a hero," Akane mentioned with a resolute smile. "Thank you."

"It was a pleasure, believe me. It's witches like you who prove people like my colony wrong," he added.

As the wolves cornered them down, Akane could only hope that they'd snap her neck first. That or a miracle would happen.

"Akane!" She snapped her head up to see Cormac and Cedric riding on top of a hippogriff. Ced being the one who had been guiding the animal had to land unlike Cormac who jumped from the winged beast and started casting spells.

"Guys!" Akane immediately perked up. "Firenze we're not dead after all!"

"You know them?" Firenze glanced at her, "I'm glad."

"Ced, Cor." She almost cried at the sight of them as they stupefied their way through the large pack of animals. As soon as they finished, it was Ced who made it to her first.

"Bloody hell," Cedric was bewildered at the sight of the blood. "What happened?"

"Ced," she whispered too exhausted from all the terror.

"He wasn't kidding," Cormac looked immediately to her worst laceration. "Fucking hell. We've got to get you to Pomfrey immediately-" It was that moment that Cormac decided to notice Firenze and he froze.

"H-Hello." Cedric was much less oblivious, "Akane, he's a friend of yours?"

"Guys, this is Firenze. He saved me," she still sat on his back.

"Hi," Cormac regained himself. "I think that it'd be best if-"

"Wait!" Akane stopped him. "Can I borrow your wand? I need to help him, after all he's done for me."

"Sure," Cedric offered his up first. "Here."

As soon as she took his wand she began some incantations that would definitely work on him, unfortunately not herself. After all it was covered in the Care of Magical Creatures class she took during the summer. Then she conjured up something that the boys didn't see, Akane ended up making a corporeal arrows with feathers that had been gilded with a shiny metal.

"What are these for?" He took one in his hands.

"For saving me," Akane whispered gratefully. "It's something I can do."

"Thank you." He then bent down to let her off. With a wave goodbye, Firenze disappeared into the depths of the forest.

Neither Cedric or Cormac had asked what exactly happened, and quite frankly Akane was floating back and forth from awake to asleep. So she was thankful.

Akane wasn't all that aware when Ced carried her to the hospital wing or when Dumbledore's sorrowful face was something she last saw. But what she did wonder where Blaise was exactly.

* * *

She woke up eventually woke up feeling like hell. After all, that adventure in the forest was practically hell for herself. It even hurt to move her head to the side to see a familiar blond and a shite ton of potions Pomfrey probably wanted her to take. Akane thought about sitting up but with every slight movement, it hurt.

With a groan later she gave up on sitting.

"New Girl," a familiar voice grunted, somewhere to her left.

"Malfoy… How's your arm?"

He glanced down at the excessive bandaging. "My arm's fine, but my side still hurts."

"I can relate," she didn't even want to gesture towards her own. "I probably look like a mummy right now." Akane attempted a joke.

"A tad, yeah," he agreed, oddly subdued.

"Have you been awake for a while?" She hesitated.

"Since bloody _five_ ," Draco replied.

"Have you… Seen anyone come to visit me?"

He thought for a moment. "You? Pomfrey kicked Diggory and McLaggen out several times. Me, however. Theo was in here earlier, as was Blaise."

"Blaise… Where is he?" She attempted again to sit up but ended up sitting back down, so incredibly frustrated with her body.

"Packing, probably."

"Packing?" She panicked, "Why? To where?"

"Moron got himself suspended," Draco replied, bitter. "I always told him he had to control his rage, but did he ever learn? No. He didn't really go into what happened, but knowing him, he probably broke a few rules."

Akane then pleaded, "Can you _please_ tell me what you do know?"

Draco huffed and rolled his eyes. "I was _getting_ to that. I only know what Blaise told me, which, mind you, wasn't very much. When you went missing, he teamed up with 'the dog and the heathen'- whatever that means- and he and McLaggen corned Katsushi. McLaggen put up a good fight, throwing fists- uncivilised, if you ask me, bloke's got a _wand-_ but Blaise stepped in a bit harsher." For the next bit, Draco pulled out air quotes. "Dumbledore told him it was 'wrong' to 'drug' and 'use an Unforgivable' on another student, or whatever, so the old bugger sent him home."

"What happened to Katsushi," it tasted like acid on her tongue to even say his name out loud.

"Use your eyes, New Girl. He's sitting on the bed across from you."

"I would if I could bloody move without everything bloody hurting…" Akane then hoped that she'd never see him again.

As if it physically pained him, Draco described the scene across the Wing. "Well, from what I can bloody well see, guy's got a few broken ribs… he's awfully purple, it's rather disturbing, and he's been restrained to his bed- kept shaking in the night, that's why. He's been out cold since he came in. Pomfrey's worried he'll even wake up, but honestly, a few _Crucio's_ are nothing." He waved a hand dismissively.

"How would you know?" Akane tried to meet his eyes.

Draco's steely grey eyes sharped into a glare. He didn't respond to her question.

"Do you know _his_ consequences?"

"Who? Katsushi?" Draco asked. "Is _this_ not consequence enough?"

"He's hellbent on-on _owning_ me… As if I were an object that could be bought," she felt tears prick her eyes not wanting to relive any moments she spent with him. Good or bad.

"Please," Draco scoffed, completely insensitive. "It could be worse."

"Being a possession and not a person isn't the worst?"

Draco blinked. "You could be an Inferius, those are pretty bad."

"What is an 'Inferius?'"

"It's a dead body that's been revived to do someone's wish. So, like, you might be a possession and not a person, but at least you're alive."

"Is it really considered to be living?" Akane questioned, "It's more like surviving if I were to be owned, made to do someone's will. But it'd be worse because my conscious would kill me."

The blond groaned. "Look, New Girl, I've been in here for the past three- or four, bloody hell, I can't keep track- days, Pomfrey's got me higher than the heavens, so if I'm not my usual _philosophical self,_ then apologies."

"Philosophical self?" Akane wanted to laugh but it'd hurt. "Malfoy, I'm sure you would've snapped at me by now if you weren't higher than the heavens… I almost wished I were, maybe this would hurt less."

Draco scowled. "Sod off. I have to be nicer to you anyway, so might as well start now."

"You don't _have_ to be nicer to me."

"Yes, I do," Draco insisted. "If what Blaise said was true, then I think it'd be appreciated."

"He told you?" Akane was surprised, thinking that Blaise would be embarrassed to have a not-so-Slytherin for a soulmate, especially if their housemates found out. He'd probably be shunned like herself.

"'Course he did, I'm not one of his best mates for nothing," Draco shot back.

"Of course. Thank you, Malfoy. You're not so bad after all." Her voice was filled with mirth at the end.

The blond snorted. "Just wait a few days."

"He'll be gone by then," Akane's impatience was really getting to her. "I wish that I'd hurry up and heal already. I need to talk to him."

"I'd like to speak with him, too, but that probably isn't going to happen." Draco frowned. "Dumbledore sent him home for a month, so he'll be back in December. I doubt he'll have much free time, though, with all the detention he's been assigned. I think he also said something about no quidditch. I can't wait for Pucey's meltdown."

She thought for a moment, glancing to the potions and was glad that they were labeled with numbers, probably in the order she needed to take them in. "You willing to risk it?"

"New Girl, I've been trying to get out of this blasted bed before I got in it," Draco scoffed, reaching for his wand.

"Good. What were the problems with your previous plans," she forced herself to sit up and bit back a groan. "Also, have they found my wand?"

"Theo wouldn't let me. And no, they haven't."

"Bloody fucker," she took three potions in a row. "I hope for his life that he hadn't snapped it." She downed another four.

Draco stretched his arms out. "Yeah, well, they'll find it- or the remains- eventually."

"Is she looking, Malfoy?" Akane continued to drink the foul liquids.

"No, she went into her office, but I think she's coming back out."

"Shite, act natural." She closed the vials quickly and laid back down.

"This _is_ how I act."

"Mr. Malfoy, who are you speaking to?" Pomfrey asked as she neared the both of them.

He glanced around. "Myself, obviously. Madam, I'm getting awfully peckish, could you grab something for me to eat?"

"Hm," she glanced towards the vials. Unsure why they were out of numeric order.

"Madam Pomfrey?" Draco asked again.

"Just a moment, I need to fix these."

 _Shite_ , Akane heard Pomfrey say. Hoping that Malfoy would make a better excuse otherwise she'd notice why the vials were much lighter.

"Oh, those?" The blond glanced at the bottles. "Yeah, that was me. Like I said, I'm getting _awfully peckish._ "

"Mr. Malfoy!" Pomfrey exclaimed. "These are for Ms. Mikoshiba, do you know what _these do_?"

"Get me higher, I hope."

"You need something to stop that," Pomfrey walked out of the doors quickly glancing back at the students in the wing but she left after she gave Malfoy a slight glare.

"She gone?" Akane whispered.

"Yeah, she's gone."

"Perfect," Akane continued her potions binge. "You think he's in the dorms still packing?"

Draco scoffed. "Wouldn't doubt it."

"I doubt that you'd know what time he leaves, do you?" Akane finished the last bottle with a gag.

"Actually," he corrected her. "The train arrives at eleven. Dumbledore's taking him down a few minutes before that."

"What time is it?" She felt the potions do their job, regretting somewhat that she binged on a bunch of them at once.

Draco glanced up at a clock on the wall. "A bit after ten."

"Not much time at all," Akane removed her sheets only to reveal hospital robes that were made out of a blinding white. "Let's go."

Mimicking her movements, Draco slid out of his own bed and stretched.

"I do look like a mummy," she took note of all the heavy bandages. "I hope I'll be as high as you once we find him."

"Honestly, I can barely think straight," Draco blurted.

"Well, looks like I'll be the one guiding. You strong enough to support me?"

"Yeah, sure," he nodded and offered his uninjured side.

"Let's go find him." She held onto him steadying herself. Wanting to know what did he do to get himself suspended.


	53. Chapter 53: Disagreements in the Dorm

He stood in the dorm room with Theo, shoving his belongings rather ungracefully into his suitcase.

The repercussions were to be expected. Blaise actually thought Dumbledore had let him off easy, suspending him for only a month, but the addition of getting kicked off the quidditch team and the promise of regular detention stung, only a little.

For casting an Unforgivable, Blaise deserved it. But he saw Katsushi in the Hospital Wing earlier that morning when he went to talk to Draco. That bastard hadn't suffered enough. Pomfrey tended to him like _he_ was the victim, and it made Blaise sick.

Dumbledore had ensured that Katsushi would have his own consequences, but there wasn't much they could do until the Ravenclaw woke up. Dumbledore had also ensured that Blaise's mum had received a letter, detailing the circumstances, and Blaise groaned.

Did Blaise regret doing what he did? No. Katsushi had breathed an air of evil Blaise had yet to encounter, and the way he treated Akane only made Blaise's opinion of him even worse.

Speaking of, Blaise passed the girl going in and out of the Hospital Wing. She was sleeping, though, scratched and battered. He knew he should talk to her, but…

Blaise couldn't bring himself to wake her up, and he thought a note would be cliche. Honestly, it'd be best if she moved on from him altogether. Blaise wasn't much better than Katsushi, that was clear. The two of them stood in the same tier of hell: the morally corrupt.

So he focused on packing, stuffing his racing thoughts away for later.

"Think about what we said." Theo's voice broke the silence and Blaise glanced over at his quiet friend, remembering their offer. They were going to run away. With each day that passed, and the most recent development, taking them up on their offer only grew more tempting.

Blaise gave a nod. "I know."

"Christmas," Theo reminded him.

Blaise gave another nod. "Yeah, I know."

Theo didn't say anything else, instead choosing to watch as Blaise stiffly bustled around their dorm room, tossing his items into his luggage without a care. He still had some time before he had to leave for the train, not much, only a bit over a half hour. Blaise picked up his broom- now retired, it seemed- and set it on the bed.

The door swung open, presenting two obviously injured figures.

"Bloody hell, you have no idea how hard it is to navigate with you." Akane panted while still holding on to Draco like a lifeline.

Draco shook the girl off. "You're nothing close to a pillow either, New Girl." He stepped aside and beelined for Theo, pulling on the other male's arm and tugging him out of the dorm room.

 _Thanks, Drake,_ Blaise silently cursed his friend. Reluctantly, he turned to Akane and waited for her to speak.

"Ma-Malfoy!" She began to wobble, "shite."

Blaise stepped forward and helped her onto the nearest bed, Crabbe's.

"Thank you," she held on to him, not letting go.

"Yeah," he nodded. Why was she here? If she knew what he did, Akane would- _should-_ avoid him like the plague. Blaise turned away from her and continued packing.

"What did you do, _Anata_?" Akane just watched unable to move much.

"I hurt him," Blaise replied, simple and vague. Draco had a tendency to blab; he wouldn't be surprised if Akane had already been filled in.

" _Anata,_ I'm still _here_."

He glanced at her. _Barely._ "He should be gone."

"I would be gone… I don't know what all happened with him, but I do know that I would've been dead. Ced and Cor are not smart enough to extract information from _him_ … That leaves you."

She didn't sound disgusted with him, but then again, she didn't know the full truth. Blaise shrugged. "I did what I had to do," he stated.

"Why won't you tell me?" Akane then mentioned, "Malfoy's already mentioned a few things. It's not like I'm going to run down these halls screaming 'bloody murder.'"

Of course Draco did. Again: not surprised. "I used the potion," Blaise chose to say, leaving out the other, more important bit of information.

" _And_ a few curses."

Not a few, just one, but he wasn't confirming that. "Yeah, maybe."

"Sometimes I really don't understand you at all," she whispered. "Why won't you just tell me?"

"Because, Mikoshiba," Blaise paused. For all those questions she asked, she sure didn't seem to absorb anything he's said. "I know what that potion told us. I know there's some 'bond' or whatever. But I'm not that _good guy_ you seem so drawn to. I'm not pulling you into my shite anymore than I have to."

"You're not _pulling_ me into anything, I'd like to think I'm waltzing into this shite that you're already tangled up in." She crossed her arms.

Blaise offered a shaky laugh. "You _don't_ want to do that."

"Then tell me why? I have nothing to go back to," Akane was about to lay herself down on the bed.

"You have Diggory, and McLaggen. _Good_ people," Blaise pointed out. He frowned at her readiness to lay on _Crabbe's_ bed.

"You're a good person, more like sweet but it's still the same thing." She looked at his frown. "What?"

Blaise ignored her question and snapped, " _Don't_ call me that."

"A good person or sweet or perhaps even you?"

"Any of it," Blaise scowled. "Just stop."

"Why won't you just accept the facts as it is. You're not the root of all evil," Akane shook her head.

He tossed his last garment into his suitcase and slammed it shut. Anything he forgot, he could ask Draco to mail it later. "I'm leaving. Move on."

"So that's it huh? You'll just leave me like that?" Akane was close to tears, then she turned her face from him. "I see how it is. You probably just _didn't care enough._ Well then."

Merlin, what was _this?_ Blaise frowned at the girl, not liking this one bit. Perhaps he was hanging around Theo too much as of late, but these emotions drove Blaise's irritation up the wall. Her soured tone only reminded him of Pansy. "I'm _leaving_ because I _fucking have to._ And, Mikoshiba, if you _didn't bloody well notice,_ I clearly cared _too much._ Cared so much I got suspended. Are you happy? Are you pleased? Is this what _you_ wanted?"

"No. I just wanted for you to talk to me without any reservations, I just want you to be honest with me. You want to know what I thought about in that forest?" She didn't stop, "I wondered what the hell you were doing? I was so entirely curious, I didn't think of anyone else first."

Under normal circumstances, he would've been flattered and maybe teased her a bit, but now? Blaise shook his head. "I'm glad I proved such a _good distraction_."

"Is this it then? Do you never want to see me again?" She sounded so defeated.

"Merlin!" Blaise exclaimed, officially losing his cool. "I'm leaving for a sodding month! You almost make it sound like you _want_ me to leave for good! I'm coming back, you know. That is, unless _her majesty_ doesn't want me to!"

"I didn't say that I didn't want you to come back, I said if you ever want to see me again." Akane whispered, "They track spells don't they?"

Blaise shook his head violently and dropped his suitcase on the ground. He only had a few more moments, but it seemed he wouldn't be getting those alone. "Maybe? I don't know! Why?"

The runaway offer sounded _real_ nice right about now.

"I might have to go, just like _him_ , I used spells that didn't even touch 'light' as we dueled." Akane whispered at her own revelations. "Perhaps they'll send me to the Ugandan School this time? I doubt it'd be America… I just wanted to talk to you before I found out where I'd be going next."

He scoffed. _Naive._ "If Dumbledore puts me in a time-out corner for using a bloody _Unforgivable,_ I doubt he's going to send you off for defending yourself."

"Perhaps, but that's what I thought about Mahokoutoro's head master. But here I am, besides…" She looked distant. "Unforgivables? They're not as bad as killing someone."

" _That's what they are,"_ Blaise drawled, dry, in disbelief. "In fact, one of them _is_ murder! They're called _Unforgivables_ for a bloody reason."

"I didn't explain it properly, there's a curse that sends someone into a comatose like state, but in that comatose state their brains are… They become a different person _if_ they wake up. And even if they do, it's not really considered living anymore. Have you ever seen a family weep for their own? Knowing that their son is deteriorated and it was your fault?"

That "not understanding" thing was mutual, as Blaise had no idea why she was bringing this up _now._ "Real admirable, Mikoshiba, but I need to go." Blaise pushed through the dorm room and swung open the door.

"Goodbye, Blaise Zabini."

He spared her one last glance, internally _hating_ that they parted this way, but outwardly enraged. Blaise struggled to form coherent thought about the fact she just… _tried_ to devalue an Unforgivable. Are there dangerous curses out there? Of bloody course! Fucking hell, it wasn't like the Unforgivables were the only three, but…

Here, in Wizarding Britain, casting any one of them- and three bloody times in a row, at that- could get him time in Azkaban. And if word spread, it might get him a rather undesirable rank among the Dark Lord's people. Neither was an option he wanted to persevere.

On his way out of the common room, Blaise bid goodbyes to his two best mates, hugged Daphne, ducked Pucey's face of rage- "Off the quidditch team! Shite, Zabini, you _and_ Malfoy! We're going to lose!"- and exchanged an awkward half-hug with Pansy, who promised to watch over the doomed duo until winter break.

His friends, his allies. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, Blaise _trusted_ these people, and had grown up with them. If the lot of them were going to bail, leaving him alone, what was the point in him trying to stay? Akane's reaction provided enough: she was disappointed in his actions, or rather, how he behaved towards her. Fair enough.

It'd be better for them both in the end.

Blaise trekked through the castle, disregarding the watchful eyes of underclassmen, hands shoved in his hoodie pockets. He and shrunken his suitcase and tossed it in his pocket somewhere on the way out of the common room, which proved a good idea, as it helped him dodge the growing lunch crowd.

Dumbledore was waiting for him by the main entrance, robes sparkling and eyes twinkling, as per usual. Blaise approached him stiffly, careful to avoid the Headmaster's knowing eyes.

"Are you ready?" Dumbledore asked.

Blaise shrugged. "As ready as I'll ever be."

"I hope you resolved what you needed," Dumbledore commented, and Blaise frowned. Leave it to a sour time such as this to reveal Dumbledore's sudden skill in Legilimency.

Shrugging again, Blaise cast his gaze towards the grand doors.

"I see," Dumbledore hummed. A simple gesture, and the doors slowly swung open. "Come, then." With that, Blaise Zabini left Hogwarts, suspended.


	54. Chapter 54: New Girl, round 2

" _You understand that we cannot have such a dangerous student ruining these halls," Headmaster Kazu stated. "Your next best option is the Wizarding Schools abroad. Anywhere in particular?" He stared at her as if she were his own granddaughter._

" _I'm sorry, headmaster." Akane shook her head in disappointment. "I don't care where I go."_

* * *

"You understand that it isn't good to use such spells, Ms. Mikoshiba." Headmaster Dumbledore spoke.

"I understand, sir." She repeated her actions as she had months ago. Waiting for the moment to hear the words.

"I also happen understand to an extent on what happened with Mr. Katsushi," Dumbledore continued. "For your safety and everyone else here. You'll be sent to Beauxbatons Academy of Magic until the next semester has started under the watchful eyes of Madam Maxime, then you'll be welcomed back. If you so choose. Please understand that I must think about the other students as well."

"I understand." Her voice wavered but it did not crack.

"Is there anything else Ms. Mikoshiba? You seem to have a question," he spoke.

"What will happen to Katsushi?"

"He will be relocated as well, you don't worry about him anymore Ms. Mikoshiba. I have taken care of it." Dumbledore waved off.

"Alright," she fisted her hands in her lap. That nightmare was over but she's going to be relocated once more, perhaps she'd actually stay there too. At Beauxbatons. After all, she seemed to only cause pain and worry for everyone she just happens to speak to. Just perhaps it would benefit everyone involved, and he even said so himself.

" _Move on."_

"Ms. Mikoshiba?" Dumbledore questioned.

"Yes, sir?"

"You'll be leaving at eleven, I suggest packing." This surprised her. She wouldn't even get a chance to say goodbye, shock was evident on her face but she couldn't question it.

"I understand." She stood up waiting for his formal dismissal.

"Ms. Mikoshiba?"

"Sir." Akane addressed him.

"This is not a expulsion. I hope you know that it's only for your safety and everyone else's, I hope you keep that in mind."

"I understand." She waited for him to let her leave. One nod later, she was gone. Tears bleary but she had things to complete first.

In her room she knew that Daphne had classes but a quick scribble on a note to her personal owl should suffice for now, then she quickly sent a few butterfly notes to Ginny, Cedric, Cormac, and even Hannah. The notes would probably flutter to them by the time dinner came about, she even encased the vials of that truth serum for Ced, Cor, and Daph. They would need it more than she would.

It had been a week since he left, and after a strict scolding of Pomfrey. Akane waited for this dreaded moment, the confrontational moment that she knew was coming. After all, it was her fault. She should've been more self aware of what spells she had been using, that way things wouldn't have turned out this way. Blaise would still be at the school, Ced and Cor wouldn't be mislead by Brown's stupid potions, and everyone else would be slightly more peaceful.

Minimizing everything she owned she placed it into a small bag. Even touching her broom that she beat Katsushi with, she broke a world record with. She realised that this academy she'll be going to most likely didn't have a quidditch team. Frowning all her hard work gone because of a few dark spells. Well, perhaps more than just a few.

Headmaster Kazu was right, she was dangerous. She was a _liability_ if anything. Akane even cursed Rui because of what he did to her friend and his possible corruption that led to Tomoda's. She had to curse him. Kai Rui deserved it, he hurt Yuko and he was probably the reason Tomoda became the way he is now. Kai Rui deserved his death on a silver platter but the only guilt she felt was when she saw Rui's mother cry.

Cry for her child.

She killed Rui without a second thought, giving him an awfully prolonged death. Perhaps he didn't deserve all the blame for Tomoda's change but still. He violated Yuko, that was still enough. It was worth everything she had done, as long as Yuko's child will never know about their father.

It was apart of the punishment for Akane to watch Mrs. Rui weep over Kai Rui's deteriorating body. It made it worst that he survived the brain scrambling, only to wake up in a state, that she wouldn't use the word 'living' to describe. The new Kai Rui was nothing of his past self, he was scared and shaken to the core. Intense paranoia they called it along with split voices the doctors claimed. Never before had she seen so much fear on Kai Rui's arrogant face before and it almost made her sick, but what had made her vomit the contents of her stomach was seeing his mother's face once more.

Now she knew how Akane had felt.

Being a stranger to a face that you've known for years. Watching that stranger become someone entirely different. Knowing that stranger and you will never share the same bond ever again.

The only reason she wasn't in prison was because the Kuzu knew about this. _Grandpa Kuzu_ , she thought remorsely. He knew about the rape of Yuko and the suspicions of Tomoda's rapid change. That's the only reason she wasn't executed but only expelled.

As Akane stripped off her uniform, she couldn't say that she'd miss the colors of the Slytherin House but she would miss a few people in it. Robes on her bed and shoes near her drawer, Akane doubted that she wanted to bring them along. After all, her contemplation of leaving for good was much higher than coming back.

Perhaps, she'd graduate early in order to escape to the muggle world? Anything with magic for her always spelled bad news.

Akane sat on her bed looking at her new, transfigured, uniforms. _Baby blue,_ she noted as all of these were well _fit_ to her form. It was a very light fabric, perhaps silk? It wouldn't bode well in the cold climates here, but from what she knew. This new school was placed somewhere in the South of France.

 _I wonder if I'll see him again?_ Akane briefly thought. But then again he didn't seem like he ever wanted to see her again. Although he did save her life but she doesn't know how he thinks or why he thinks a certain way, but she did say that she wouldn't leave him alone. Not until he's told her to do so, _but he did._ She reminded herself. He did.

He did.

Akane fixed up her new dress which was much more right fitting than she imagined. Uncomfortably so. As she picked up her bag and walked out of the dorm room and towards the main entrance, she passed by no familiar faces, they're whispers clear as day wondering who she was.

"Akane?" It was Ced as she turned around.

"Ced." She smiled weakly just for him, although she wasn't feeling any bit of joy.

"What are you doing? Why are you wearing a Beauxbatons uniform? Akane," Cedric fired questions like no tomorrow.

"Ced," Akane interrupted. "I-I'm leaving." She couldn't will herself to lie to him, "I have to. I casted some things in that duel I had with Katsushi, and now I have to go because I'm dangerous-"

"Dangerous my arse," Ced scoffed. "You're-"

"Ced." Akane stopped him again now looking at him sadly. "I care for you a lot. But here," she gave him her butterfly note that she _was_ going to send off as she was in the carriage. But since he was here, there was no point. "This is a truth serum. It won't work for much longer, but smell it. It'll tell you your real soulmate, probably. Just don't drink it, promise me."

Ced was shaking his head in disbelief, "No, it can't be someone else. Akane, Brown's-"

"Do you really trust her potion skills? We even brewed amorentia on the first day,"

Akane explained. "Smell it Ced, you can smell it now then smell me. You'll know and I even brewed it myself. But don't drink it."

He opened the vial and swished the contents then he inhaled. Confusion evident on his face as he sniffed her and then the vial repeatedly. He did this for a few more minutes and then cussed.

"I told you it's not me," Akane whispered. "But hey, she'll be one lucky gal… That is if she is a she." Akane jested.

"But I don't have to follow this," he replied frantically. "I'm not veela or anything like that, it's not like I'll die if I don't."

"But you'll never be _truly happy_." Akane kissed his cheek. "I have to get going, the carriage won't wait forever."

"You won't stop talking to me, will you?" Cedric was desperate to keep in contact with her.

"Owls do exist, Ced. But you have to promise me that you'll move on, Ced. You can't stay hung up on me. I'm not worth it."

"Akane," Ced frowned.

"Goodbye Cedric," she waved off with a faux smile. "I'll miss you." She whispered at the end.

Dumbledore met her at the front as she didn't feel like exchanging condolences or something that would give her a hope for her return. As she entered the carriage and it began to fly, she saw the magnificence of Hogwarts from the sky a whole three hundred and sixty degree view of the palace. She saw everything from the Black Lake to the Gryffindor's Quidditch practice, then she sent out her butterflies.

Wishing them the best of luck she watched them flutter away to their destinations. Glancing at Io, her owl. Knowing soon that he'd be making such far travels sooner or later. As the hours passed by she touched the soft clouds as the carriage met some turbulence. She probably wouldn't feel the softness of the clouds or the refreshing crisp air or even watch the people below her as she did brilliant dips and loops and high rises.

 _Yes._ Akane looked outside, dazed. _Dumbledore mentioned that they don't have a team. They don't even care for broomsticks._ She hoped to meet someone who was different enough to perhaps share her love of quidditch.

Sooner or later the carriage opened and she was welcomed by the headmistress herself. Madam Maxime.

"Welcome to Beauxbatons Academy of Magic," she greeted with a heavy accent.

"Thank you, Madam Maxime." Akane did a well practiced curtsy, she had been given a book most likely from Dumbledore seeing as it was waiting for her in the carriage. It had done her good to read up on what exactly Beauxbatons was and who ran it. Overall the information was very valuable seeing as Maxim's smile graced her face.

"Very well mannered," Maxime gestured her to follow.

"Thank You, Madam." Akane followed with her bag.

Akane watched diligently as Maxime pointed out different things such as the dining hall then the different rooms which were much more closely put together than the ones in Hogwarts. Maxime then showed her to her room which she asked about her roommate. Then Maxime laughed lightly telling her that there would be no roommates, the palace was large enough to accommodate every student.

"Madam Maxime?"

"Yes, Ms. Mikoshiba?"

"Are there only girls in this school?" Akane had observed the classrooms which were predominantly female.

"No, but we do keep the gender separated during classes. It prevents distractions," Maxime replied. Sooner or later they were in her office discussing her classes and everything she'd need to know. Especially the charm that gives her the ability to be multi-lingual considering that most students speak fluent French.

"Ms. Mikoshiba, Headmaster Dumbledore told me about what happened," the headmistress saw as Akane held herself slightly. "I must warn you that I will not allow any of my students to become harmed. If you do happen to do something, your next place will be with the non-magicals."

"I understand Madam Maxime." Akane replied ready to settle in.

"Ms. Mikoshiba, I do have one question I've been meaning to ask."

"Yes, Madam?"

"Do you intend on staying here for the remainder of your education?"

"I don't know Madam," Akane was resolute. "To be honest, I was thinking of leaving for the non-magic world after the winter is up."

"Why?" She was slightly aghast. "Why would you not at least finish your education? You're only two years away!"

"Madam. Everywhere I go that has the least bit of magic, I cause trouble. I stayed in non-magical England for a few days before Hogwarts. I didn't fit in but it was better to not fit in even the slightest than to not fit in somewhat. If that makes any sense."

"I see."

"Yes… Madam, may I go to now? It has been a long day."

"Of course," Maxime walked the girl to the doors then handed her a map. "The palace isn't as large as Hogwarts but she is still rather hard to navigate at times. I wish you the best of luck."

"Thank you, Madam."


	55. Chapter 55: Suspension

A week has passed since Blaise was sent home from Hogwarts. Things have been slow.

The train ride home was rather lonesome, as he was the only human being on board apart from the conductor. Cabins that usually held eager students now held box upon box of exported Hogsmeade items. Blaise managed to find a seat near the front across from a suspicious looking crate from Spintwitches Sporting Needs that he had to convince himself held a broom and not a dead body.

His mother greeted him with teary eyes and a bit of Italian babble, kissing his cheeks and ushering him inside. She had received Dumbledore's letter only moments prior, but she insisted on hearing his side of the story.

"The bloke's a right bastard," Blaise spat, glaring at the ground, as Katsushi wasn't there. "He tortured a girl and kidnapped her, and left her in the Forbidden Forest. So I cast a few spells and gave him a potion so he'd tell us where she was."

Gianna Zabini only provided a wistful sigh. "A girl? Is she a friend, or-"

"A friend," Blaise cut off his mum, not wanting to hear more. He didn't want to spend his entire month dwelling on what happened with Akane, and after the way they parted it didn't seem worth it. Blaise had told Akane to move on. No matter how hard it was for him to say, _he_ was the danger. Akane didn't deserve his weight on her shoulders; the girl had enough to deal with already.

But enough of that.

" _Mio figlio,"_ his mum smiled at him. "Perhaps what you did was wrong, but you can't deny the fact that it's romantic."

"Beating up a bloke in the bathroom?"

She laughed, light and airy. "It's very _brutale._ Women always love strong men."

Blaise wasn't sure what plane his mum was in, but he knew that she wouldn't understand his perspective, so he didn't bother to fight her words. He only shrugged and crashed down onto the couch with a slouch.

"You're staying for a month, yes?" Gianna asked.

"Yeah," Blaise gave a nod. A _month_ was a long sodding time, and without it being summer and all, there was close to nothing for him to do. Being in Muggle London, anything magic was out of the question.

Gianna hummed. "Use this time to reflect and relax. You're stressed, I can tell." She stepped out of the living room and vanished into the kitchen, her voice calling out, "We'll order _pizza_ for dinner, yes?"

Blaise grunted in acknowledgement.

That first week passed in a blur of sleep and colors, as- though Blaise would never admit to it- he ended up watching the Muggle telly with his mum when her soap operas came on. And between those two activities in his so very busy schedule, he took his mum's membership card to the gym and worked off the calories that her fondness of Italian food had brought.

Gianna Zabini worked night shifts as a bartender in one of the raunchier bars in town. She had Blaise at the young age of eighteen, courtesy of her first husband. Though she was thirty-four now, she had managed seven more husbands in the past sixteen years, with a few fiances and flings thrown in between.

The bartending job paid fairly, but what Gianna Zabini thrived on most were the abundance of funds from her counting list of wealthy _deceased_ husbands.

Blaise never asked, but he always attended the funerals. His mum cried convincingly during the services, dabbing at her eyes with the same black handkerchief, first the left, then the right. Once the two of them got home from these funeral services, though, Gianna would change and dry her eyes, watching outside for the owl or mailman who would deliver the news of their awaiting funds.

He told her once, only a few years ago, after her fifth: "You're a sodding black widow, mum."

Gianna had smiled kindly back and tapped his cheek.

Currently, his mum was a proud single woman, working her way up through a list of one-night stands. She stood on a pile of currency that only seemed to grow with each passing year, which allowed her the freedom of working so fleetingly and travelling the world.

Growing up under the care of a woman who loved the idea of romance but gave love up so willingly probably set a few screws loose in Blaise's head and guided him to misinterpret what _caring_ really meant. He loved his mum, of course he did, and his mum loved him. Gianna would do anything for her son, a determination that rivaled Narcissa's. But she also taught him that the world was not a simple place.

"You may not understand now, _mio figlio,"_ Gianna had said to him, a whopping five years ago. He remembered her words clearly. "But love isn't something that can be thrown around so easily. It must be earned, and you must love yourself first before you can love another."

And sitting in front of the Muggle telly one day, Blaise came to a sinking realization. He was vain, he was prideful, he was arrogant; Blaise knew himself to stand a bit higher than others. Draco had taught him that, first year. " _You're better than them, Blaise. They're just mudbloods and blood-traitors, the lot of them."_

Despite the fact that he believed all that to be true, Blaise…

… didn't love himself.

Why else would he torture his own body, opting not to eat when he knew he should, just for the sake of physical appearance? Why else would he a _sodding arse_ and push the kind people, the good people who cared, away from him with a ten foot pole?

It made sense. In the process of becoming the person he longed to be- Mr. Tall, Dark, Handsome, Cool, Calm, and Collected- he had lost sense of who he _really_ was. And now? Blaise didn't know who that would _be_.

Was he really a cunning, manipulative Slytherin, or had he just been conditioned to be that way? Blaise thought back to Daphne's nature versus nurture argument, all those weeks ago, in reference to Akane. She had been raised to be a certain way.

It was fair to say that yeah, so had he.

With a shuddering exhale, he cleared his mind and changed the channel.

* * *

A week ago, he had snapped at Akane- something that he _shouldn't_ have done, Blaise knows that now, but it's too late to change- and left Hogwarts for his month-long suspension.

Today marked the week's pass, and he stood in the kitchen, eating a bowl of cereal. His mum was still asleep and would be for a few more hours, leaving him with a silent solitude. The telly was on, it always was, displaying some eighties American film he didn't care to watch.

There was a tap at the window.

A sleek black owl stared back at him with oddly vibrant yellow eyes. Blaise recognized the bird. _Draco._ He opened the kitchen window and the bird hopped in, dropping a neat envelope on the counter, sealed with the classic Malfoy crest.

Scoffing, Blaise took the envelope and opened it. Out fell a folded piece of parchment.

 _Blaise,_

 _New Girl got in trouble. Apparently she pulled a_ you _and cast some 'bad' spells._

 _Dumbledore sent her to Beauxbatons for the rest of the semester as punishment. Not sure if_ _she's coming back._

 _Katsushi's healing slowly, and there's talk that when he wakes up, he'll be sent to Durmstrangs for their 'behavioral program.' Whatever that is._

 _We hope you're doing alright. Remember our offer._

 _Draco_

 _P.S. Theo says hi._

Blaise held the letter in a vice grip and read it over once again.

Akane got sent to Beauxbatons? _Fucking hell_ , why? Did she not cast those spells in self-defense? What-

It was her second offense, Blaise remembered. She had done something like this before, back in Mahoutokoro, but Blaise didn't know the details. Right when she tried to explain, he brushed her off and left Hogwarts, not giving the girl a chance.

At two schools, Akane Mikoshiba had gotten herself in serious trouble. Blaise hoped the girl would be smarter to not let it happen again. A third time, and the higher-ups won't be as forgiving.

Honestly, if it weren't for the disastrous situation, Blaise probably would have been sent off to a different school, too. He wondered what he would've done then. Suddenly, a month-long suspension, quidditch ban, and detention didn't seem like punishment enough.

Blaise shook his head and let go of the letter. Brooding wasn't going to solve anything. He knew it wasn't the most he could do, and he'd probably already screwed himself over enough, but…

Grabbing a piece of parchment from the kitchen drawer, he snatched the nearest quill and scrawled out a messy note.

 _I'm sorry. - B.Z._

He rolled it up, tied it with a black ribbon, and handed it to Draco's owl. The bird only glared, wanting something in return.

"Fine," Blaise frowned, offering some cereal. The bird ate it gladly and accepted Blaise's note in its left foot. With a moody hoot that reminded Blaise far too much of its owner, the owl flew out the window, making way for France.

It was probably too late. He had told Akane to move on, after all, but for some reason, trying to mend fences seemed like the right thing to do. After all, he may never see her again. She may choose to stay at Beauxbatons. Blaise wouldn't blame her. The French lot of magicfolk had their lives put together far better than anyone at Hogwarts. They'd probably treat her better, too.

And it wasn't like he was any guarantee either.

With a final bite of his breakfast- something that his stomach wasn't used to, but glad for- Blaise slipped upstairs with intentions to pack not for Hogwarts, but for the States.


	56. Chapter 56: Beauxbatons

"Ladies," the professor, which Akane couldn't remember their name, called. "Today we're going to be-" Akane didn't care to listen as she knew that it would most likely be book work. Nothing spectacular, just bookwork on herbs instead of physically touching the plants.

This is what Beauxbatons version of a higher education, no hands on experience, _at all._ Even in the Care of Magical Creatures, where Akane hoped to at least ride a hippogriff so she could fly, was reduced to some tomes and scrolls. Overall this prevented injuries, seeing as the medical wings admissions is significantly less than Hogwarts. But this also prevented anything interesting from happening.

Potions, were still done traditionally but they were restricted on what they do brew and it was done in groups of four instead of pairs. D.A.D.A still existed as well but they didn't duel but only study evasion methods. Then there were a few other classes that she wasn't sure that made any sense, like ballroom dancing as a club or tea etiquette club.

 _Clearly_ , Akane thought. _This school is for the higher class._

As she continued on with her day, it'd only been a week and she was bored with her classes. Bored with her peers, because as much as she tried. They didn't. Not really at least, none of the girls here attempted to extend an olive branch, too stuck in their own preset groups. Even the few boys here were much like the girls with the exception of one.

That exception just happened to be the one of her professors, who seemed to be more inclined to quidditch than anyone else in the bloody school. Her professor just so happened to be an ex professional quidditch player, apparently he used to play alongside Krum. But now he's here to teach the girls self defence, the old muggle way. Which was the _only_ class that offered some sort of physical exercise, class not club. But even that wasn't perfect, she was only allowed to see him once a week. Afterhour visits or before class questions, simply didn't exist or they were uncommon enough for it to be considered strange and rumors would fly up immediately.

Akane only wanted to stay low. She didn't want to attract anymore reasons to use dark magic. But in staying low, she was utterly bored. With the exception of the letters from her friends in Hogwarts, Akane could only wait for the day to pass.

 _Akane!_

 _You wouldn't believe what's happening. Daphne Greengrass told me that my two oafs of a brothers, the twins. Happen to be her soulmate! I can't bloody believe it, it's so incredibly strange! You should've seen Ron's face, it was as pale as the day he found a spider in his bed. Hey, Akane. I remember everything you've told me in the last letter, and how you'd prefer for the whole school population not to know. But either way, we still miss you. Hermione's even got a jinx made just for you, Harry sent the package which you should be getting soon, Ron said to say 'hello' for him._

 _How are you though? I can't imagine what it must be like to live in Beauxbatons. It must be fairly dull, from your last letter nothing seems to be very fun. Akane… Will you really stay there for the whole year? I have to know. Well, I just want to make sure, either way we'll send our love!_

 _Ginny_

As she sat re-reading Ginny's letters in the owlery, she could only imagine how conflicted Daphne must be. The Weasley twins from her understanding, they weren't bad boys. Just mischievous, very mischievous. Preparing her stationary she began to write to them all. Io was making such far trips as it was already so she didn't want to send too many within a week. So she either waited until they sent one or Io was feeling up to the task.

Sending Io off, she glanced at Harry's snowy owl. Inside the box was indeed a present. It contained an array of chocolate frogs, sugar quills, and even choco-shocks. Although she knew about the brewing tensions that were ready to overflow, Harry was still just as ever, thoughtful. Making a note to send something specifically from France, she considered that he'd probably appreciate the orange candies or the bon bons.

Giving his owl a small snack, which consisted of those orange candies. She watched as the bird that came to her with the odd note, still stay. Waiting. As if it were waiting for a response that she could only supply.

The black ribbon and the scribbly note still lay within her pocket, and she hadn't written any sort of response since the owl had arrived. Of course, she gave it a snack every time she visited the owlry which happened to be daily, but how was she supposed to respond? Knowing that he was either truly reflecting upon himself feeling guilt and he sent it only for that purpose, or there was something more. This was Blaise Zabini, the enigma she barely started to figure out.

 _Stay._

 _Move on._

He was like a bloody stoplight if anything. He was being honest with her and everything then he's suddenly like 'stop thou shall not pass beyond this point.' She couldn't figure him out, and once he's told her that he's done with her and everything, he pulls that middle yellow light which basically means it's _her_ choice on what happens next! She had half a mind of crumpling the paper in her pocket and burning the ribbon for what his mixed signals represented. But this owl wouldn't leave until she sent _something_ back.

She could send him every single thought she had wanted to tell him, but what would that accomplish? They can't tell each other things in real time, there was no point. Or she could send him a simple scribble back, finishing this 'relationship' once and for all, hoping that he'd find someone else to be happy with. But somehow she couldn't will herself to do just that. It seemed too cruel for her to send no matter how many times she's actually written that.

 _Although,_ Akane thought bitterly remembering those bright and shiny faces of those Beauxbatons girls. They had been ecstatic to hear she had come from Hogwarts then proceeded to gush about a certain male who just happened to be the exact description of Blaise Zabini. Even the male portion of their group blushed slightly, making Akane want to strangle someone.

* * *

As another week passed and it came into early December. And no matter how many times Akane tried she couldn't get behind the whole bubbly persona that most of these girls carried. She just didn't feel like she could carry the whole year like _this_. She even told Madam Maxime that she'd prefer to just leave after the semester was up.

Knowing that muggles didn't use owls or any sort of messenger birds, she decided to send Ginny a warning of what will happen. That she'll probably lose all contact with everyone after everything they've done together. It was a tear stained paper, but an honest one. In response, Ginny, Harry, Cedric, and even Cormac sent their owls.

Ginny even told her within her letter, that she contemplated on sending a howler for leaving her so soon. But she also mentioned that she'd be welcomed to the burrow whenever she needed to, also a muggle cell phone number that was originally her dad's. Harry probably planned with Ginny, seeing as she found a small flip phone in the package he had sent her with only two numbers so far. His, Ginny's, and Hermione's which made her smile they probably got the idea from Hermione. Ced and Cor did a joint effort is seems. Ced had sent her a snitch, charmed of course to always make it's way back home after a certain amount of time. Then Cor's package is what made her cry with a mixture of sadness and joy. She was given two jerseys, her own from the Hufflepuff team and another one. It had a mixture of all the house colors, done in a tasteful way with her number and name on the back once more.

Akane knew that she'd have to make it up to them somehow, but as she glanced towards the owl that had been there for at least a week. She made her mind.

 _There's nothing to be sorry about._

 _Mikoshiba_

She knew it was distant, she knew that it was cold, but she knew that this would end everything. Before she sent it with the owl, Akane tied it with the ribbon the message came with along with the soft blue one in her hair, which she hated. This way he'd know that she was done interfering with his life.

One letter later the owl was off stretching it's wings in the open air. As she watched as it soared so elegantly, she thought about doing the same. After all, muggle didn't use brooms or magical carriages or dragons to fly across the great blue sky.

Shaking off her legs she went to her room and picked up her trusty flying cleaning utility and started her rise to the sky. Freedom was associated with air. Ever flowing ever changing freedom of whatever she felt like doing. If she wanted to do a loop or a sharp turn then she could without worrying about hurting someone else, only herself. Her lack of responsibility, her lack of guilt was an absolute beautiful feeling.

As she sat on her broom in an unladylike fashion, she formulated a plan. She couldn't go anywhere close to Wizarding America, but that'd be easy. Akane would just have to figure out where? She probably couldn't afford a place in New York, Florida would be too hot for her liking. California was equally as expensive as New York or anything in the West would be like that. So the middle of America would have to do. She needed a place where small towns weren't, otherwise things would circulate too easily and things would get messy if she did another wrong move.

A metropolis would be safer. Although there'd be much more people, the city or suburbs would be ideal. Perhaps she'd aim for Illinois? It was in the middle and had a metropolis, affordable if she did play her cards right. She'd be able to make a good living as a muggle.

Gears started turning on how much she had left in her account she would have to apparate to save the most money, seeing as she wasn't on the run from the government she'd be fine.

Chicago would be her best bet.


	57. Chapter 57: No turning back

The rest of the month-long suspension progressed similarly to how it began: slow and dreadfully boring. Blaise was admittedly glad when the time to go back to Hogwarts came. Besides, it wasn't much longer before he'd be leaving once again to start a new chapter of his life.

He told his mum.

"Hey, mum," Blaise began, earlier that morning before they had to leave for Hogwarts. Gianna perked up- she had taken the previous night off and had woken up when he did- and smiled at her son. "I have something to tell you."

"Anything, _mio figlio,"_ she hummed.

"I'm… going to leave, with Drake and Theo and Pans, over winter break. And I don't think I'll be coming back." Blaise avoided her eyes, dreading her reaction. He didn't want to deal with tears or any of the sort, but knowing his mum, rivers wouldn't be out of the question.

Gianna Zabini only smiled and nodded. "Yes, yes, you've been packing a bit heavy for Hogwarts. Will I see you before you go?"

Surprised, Blaise struggled to form a response. "Yeah, I think so."

"That's all I needed to know," she replied, bittersweet. Thought Gianna led a unique and separated life, she wasn't clueless to the heavy incoming implications of war. "I'm glad you'll be with your _amici."  
_ Blaise nodded. "Yeah, me too."

"What about the girl?" Gianna asked. "The one you like."

" _Mum-"_

"I can read you like a book," she teased. "You have the eyes of a man in _amore."_

Blanching, Blaise attempted to save face. " _No,_ no, it's not-"

Gianna pat his cheek softly. "Denial isn't good for the heart, _mio figlio._ Now go, finish packing. We'll leave once you're ready."

Frowning- and _not pouting, no,_ only Draco pouted- Blaise embarked up the stairs and shuffled into his room, gathering together two suitcases: one with his school uniforms and books, one with his stash of Muggle clothes and personal items he wanted to take with him. He left the latter bit of luggage laying on his unmade bed, zipped up and ready to go once winter break hit.

Taking the suitcase meant for school, he tapped it with his wand and with a spell it shrank, small enough to fit in his pocket. Blaise strolled back downstairs and found his mum waiting in the living room, hair perfected and outfit neatly chosen. She smiled at him once more before taking his arm in hers and apparating them to Hogsmeade.

Lacking the education and preparation, Blaise felt the urge to vomit, swaying with dizziness. Gianna gave him a pat on the back. "It'll pass."

The two Zabini's trekked up the walk to the grand castle. Blaise suddenly felt a swirl of reluctance, not wanting to face certain people after what he'd done. And now that Akane was gone, too, would he still have to deal with the dog and the heathen? Just who would be waiting to interrogate him? He could already imagine a crowd of Potter and his crew, hiding behind the main entrance doors, anticipating his arrival so they could ambush him with the blame of what happened to Akane.

Blaise crossed his fingers that his mum would be enough of a distraction. Dumbledore had requested to speak with her, most likely about _him,_ so she'd end up strutting the halls. And being proclaimed as one of the 'most beautiful witches of the century,' she'd without a doubt turn a few heads.

Potter and his crew weren't waiting, but Draco, Theo, Pansy, and Daphne were.

Gianna smiled at his friends. "Oh, Draco! Theodore! Pansy! And Daphne, hello! It's been a long time, _bambini."_

"Hello, Ms. Zabini," Daphne greeted, exchanging hugs with the woman. Blaise just cast his gaze off to the side, feeling very _awkward_ so suddenly. Gianna went to each of the four and embraced the teens.

Dumbledore, too, was waiting. He made a dramatic entrance, walking in from around the Great Hall doors with Snape at his side. "Ms. Zabini," the Headmaster smiled kindly at the woman. "It's been a long time."

Gianna had attended Hogwarts for half of her magical education, the first half having taken place in Italy under the guidance of her large Italian family. She had moved to England when she was fourteen, hoping to gain a better understanding of magic at an actual wizarding school. Placing in Slytherin, she made fast friends and met her first husband, the identity of which she still had yet to reveal to Blaise.

"It has," Gianna replied, glancing around the grand entrance. "The school looks _bellissimo,_ as always."

While the adults exchanged greetings, Blaise stepped towards Draco and lowered his voice. "The offer. I'm in."

Draco gave a slow nod. "Alright. We'll talk later."

Dumbledore gestured towards the corridor. "Follow me. Let's speak." He lead the way, and Snape and Gianna followed. Blaise, however, stood right where he was, in front of his friends.

"It's lunch." Daphne gestured to the Great Hall. "Are you hungry?"

Blaise nodded and followed them in.

* * *

There were some murmurs, but other than that, his reappearance was as un-dramatic as any. Katsushi, much like Akane, had been swiftly shipped off to another school in hopes that the Durmstrangs' administration would be able to tame that demon of a man. Pucey seemed happy to see him, but he was still bitter that Blaise got himself _forced_ off the team.

"I'm down you, Malfoy, and Katsushi," Pucey complained. "Bloody hell, who am I going to find on such short notice? Nott-"

" _No,"_ Draco answered for him, pushing Theo out of Pucey's line of sight.

"Come on!"

Both Diggory and McLaggen managed to corner him that afternoon, too, before Blaise disappeared into the common room for the night. Ironically, they found him in the bathroom, arms crossed and looking solemn.

 _How fitting_.

"Wild," Blaise remarked, glancing between the two. "If I didn't know you, I'd think you were brothers." They looked oddly similar at that moment: wavy brown hair, only a few inches apart in height, same look of determination in their matching brown eyes.

"Zabini," McLaggen started. "She's gone."

"Yeah, I know."

Diggory frowned. "Aren't you… I dunno, upset?"

"Do I look upset?" Blaise asked. He began washing his hands and watched the other two in the mirror.

"Zabini," McLaggen tried again, repeating his words with more force. "She's _gone."_

"I'm not deaf-"

McLaggen huffed. "Wanker, she left Beauxbatons. She's not coming back."

Blaise paused in his ministrations and dropped his gaze. _So that's how it is?_ Fair enough: he had told her to move on, and clearly, she did. He didn't think she'd leave Hogwarts for good, though. And the fact she left Beauxbatons on her own accord seemed even more unlikely.

"Really?" Blaise drawled, forcing his face into that same mask of faux impression. He _was_ working harder on himself and putting himself together, but some things couldn't be changed so easily.

Neither McLaggen nor Diggory seemed to appreciate his sarcasm. "We smelled those potions, you know," Diggory stated, and Blaise subtly tensed. "We kind of figured it out."

"Smart boy," Blaise taunted. "Who're the lucky ones, then?"

Diggory shook his head. "We don't know quite yet."

"Point is," McLaggen stepped in. "Don't try to deny it anymore, Zabini. Did you at least try to fix things?"

Blaise thought back to that haphazard note he sent and the nonexistent reply. "Yes, actually, I did."

"Did she?"

The Slytherin turned around to face them, mood soured. "No," he shot, pushing past the two and out the lavatory door. They didn't follow.

* * *

"We'll meet up that first night of winter break. Not sure where yet-"

"My house," Blaise interjected, and Draco gave a nod.

"Yes, alright. We'll meet at Blaise's house that first night. And he's in Muggle London, so that fixes a few things. And- _please-_ if you've got money, exchange it for Muggle currency, Merlin, I'm not dealing with lousy mistakes," Draco explained, Theo, Blaise, and Pansy sitting around him. "We'll book the first flight to New York and go from there. Questions?"

Theo raised his wand.

"Right," Draco remembered. "Obviously we can't take any magical goods with us, seeing as we'll be-" a stifled shudder "- trying to blend in with Muggles. Plus, there's a trace on some things, such as wands. _So,_ that night before we leave, we're going to throw our wands into the Black Lake. That way, if we're traced, our wands will say we're at Hogwarts."

"So we're not staying in New York?" Pansy clarified.

" _Merlin,_ no. The place is obnoxiously crowded, and plus the magic presence is strong. We ought to go to a different city- one less _infested-_ like Chicago, or Seattle or whatever. I don't really care, but I re _fuse_ to go to Los Angeles, so don't _get any ideas._ Pansy, I'm looking at _you._ "

Something niggled at the back of Blaise's mind, but he couldn't place the thought or feeling that motivated him to say, "Chicago works."

"Perfect, Chicago it is. We'll get a shoddy apartment and _lie low._ Nothing glamorous. If any time was ever perfect to dress like a Weasley, it's now. We don't want to draw attention."

Pansy again. "What if we're recognized?"

"It's not like we _will_ be, seeing as I doubt _any_ of our faces have been plastered on the front page… well, _mine_ has, but… I don't think we need to worry about that," Draco shrugged. "If you're paranoid, Pansy, one of us can always break your nose and dye your hair."

Deadpanning, Pansy replied dryly, "No, I'm fine, thanks."

"Blaise, to update you," Draco announced, turning to him. "It's just us for now. Bulstrode doesn't want to leave her family behind, and the Greengrass sisters have some things to work out, but they may find us later. I'm not sure _how,_ but, well. They can try."

It all seemed like a lot, but Blaise wasn't going to fight Draco's plan. He'd- or, rather, him and Theo, as was more likely- clearly put a lot of thought in it. There were a few flaws, such as how they'd bloody well get anywhere or how they'd make money- both answers Blaise was reluctant to supply- but knowing them, they'd make it work. The important thing was getting out of this country before the war began, which would only result in them getting wrapped up in a battle they weren't ready to fight.

Blaise nodded. "Yeah, alright."

In conclusion, Draco glanced around at the three of them, all sitting around the boys' dorm room. "We're a week into December, and we've got a week and a half to go. Be prepared. Time is limited."

* * *

The next morning at breakfast, Draco's black owl swooped in and landed in front of them, dropping a wrapped of piece of parchment near Blaise's plate.

"Sodding hell, I was wondering where that blasted bird went," Draco mumbled, stroking the midnight colored feathers. In response, the owl gave a soft hoot and bit at a scone on Draco's plate.

Blaise picked up the note. Tying it together was the same black string he had used, accompanied by the signature soft blue of Beauxbatons. He opened the note and frowned.

 _There's nothing to be sorry about. - Mikoshiba_

A certain burst of conflicted emotions swirled around in his thoughts. There was satisfaction at the idea she finally took his advice, but disappointment she hadn't said much of anything else. Her words didn't sound like her, and with the knowledge that McLaggen and Diggory provided, Blaise just _knew_ he had done something incredibly- yet irreversibly- wrong.

He hurt her. And now, there was no turning back.


	58. Chapter 58: Brace for impact!

As Akane walked towards her last class of the whole week she could hear running heels and screaming from the corridor she was walking down towards. As the girls ran from the general direction, Akane's sense of nobility decided to show its face. Akane ran towards the area only to see the palace defenses flare up and she saw hooded figures cursing everyone they possibly could. As one of the girls grabbed Akane's hand and booked it down the halls, screaming at Akane in French. Although she had no idea on what this girl was saying she got the gist of it.

The girls and boys flooded into the dining hall, she could see the professors panic and Madam Maxime cast wards once the doors were closed. The hall was crowded with panicked students and Akane could hear the only physical barrier ready to fall.

"Everyone! Apparate to the carriages!" Maxime ordered and Akane could only guess as to what she had said in French.

"What?" Akane looked frantic seeing everyone leave one by one, "Carriages!" The self defense professor came to her aid, apparating with her. Soon enough, after the nausea faded and Akane's professor pulled her into the last carriage to leave. She had watched out the window, Beauxbatons fell to the people in the cloaks fear seeped into her bones as she saw walls fall and portions become obliterated completely.

"Keep your head in," her professor's gruff voice called to her as he prepared something with his wand.

"Did we get everyone?" Akane disobeyed still watching. "I still see few people, Professor!"

"Bloody fucking hell." It was his turn to look out the window. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

One of the blonde French girls screamed her head at him shaking her head signifying a no, but Akane ignored her and was already formulating a plan just as the professor took over the reigns.

The girl continued to screech until Akane shut her up. "Would you want us to leave _you_ behind?"

As soon as they touched the ground with a shaky landing, Akane flew open the door with her wand ready to attack. Although she didn't care for these students and their self preservationist attitudes she didn't think that they deserved death. As the last boy entered the carriage she scoped the area while the professor interrogated them.

"There's a few more in the ballroom!" Professor shouted towards her trying to cast shields. "I'll-" Before he could finish Akane was out the door. "Bloody girl!"

"Curse me later, Professor!" She ran into the building everything that was once so ever magnificent was now in ruins. Akane was lucky to avoid the dark hoods until she found the ballroom where they were scouring for the last of the students.

They found one, he was screaming curses and threats which eventually turned into pleas. Glancing into the room she saw that he might be the only _living_ one left and she'd be damned to let him die. Hearing something so ever familiar in latin, she decided that waiting wouldn't do her any good. Aiming for the two hooded people she whispered, 'nemutte iru shi' sleeping death. Knowing that they wouldn't wake up anytime within the next five months, Akane ran towards the brunet French boy and pulled his arm.

"Is there anyone else?" It seems that he understood enough to shake his head signifying a 'no.' As the duo ran towards the carriage, Akane saw that more had accumulated near the carriage. Cursing slightly, she whispered the same spell that put the other two to 'bed.' The occupants of the vehicle pulled the bruised boy into the cart and once Akane was inside the professor reigned the pegasi to gallop for everyones lives.

As she regained her breath she looked to the battered boy and he thanked her profusely in his own tongue. She of course, didn't understand a lick of it but was too tired to do anything but smile. The carriage was full, so full in fact that some even sat on the floor. Which meant it was a rather uncomfortable journey to the next safe haven.

"Brace for impact!" Professor yelled seeing as there wouldn't be a steady landing. Screams filled the small carriage and Akane could feel herself bump up into the air as the carriage bounced on the ground slightly earning herself a small scratch.

"Fucking hell," she groaned as a few of the students landed on top of her. The doors opened to reveal a Severus Snape with a stretcher ready.

* * *

"Why do I have to be here?" Akane asked Pomfrey as she disinfected her gash.

"Because you're hurt."

"I'm alive." She countered but with one last glare from Pomfrey she decided to just sit on the bed like a good patient. The woman had enough patients in this wing to need to deal with her.

"Akane!" Ginny came through the double doors at a speed she's never seen before. "Merlin are you alright?"

"Gin," Akane smiled. "I'm fine… What are you doing here? I thought they kept all the students in their classroom?"  
"I was at the loo when this all happened. Anyways-"

"Ms. Weasley!" Pomfrey scolded. "What are you doing here-" She continued but Akane only watched slightly amused as Ginny got a scolding. It was sort of nice to be back in the ever familiar hospital wing of Hogwarts. After she had drank her potion that would prevent any infections she was escorted to the dining hall, where Dumbledore and Maxime would most likely explain the entire situation. What she hadn't expected was to see her old classmates there as well.

"Bloody hell." Akane whispered not sure if she really wanted to go in the hall.

"Akane?" It had been Cormac.

"Cor," she smiled slightly.

"Shite, that's really you," he gaped at her. "I thought you left?"

"Cor," she frowned. "Did you _read_ my letter?"

Cormac just stared. "Well, yeah, I thought so…"

"I said that I wouldn't leave until after winter," Akane gave him a light smile hoping that he wouldn't be too angry at her sudden disappearance and reappearance into their lives, after this wasn't part of the plan.

"Oh, well, that, yeah-" He paused. "Nevermind that. You're here! Are you alright?"

She shrugged. "Few scrapes and bruises but I will survive."

"Shite, wow," Cormac rushed over to her side. "I'll have to tell Diggory-"

"Ced? How is he?" Akane wondered.

Cormac glanced around the hall in pursuit of the Hufflepuff. "He's been alright, actually. Lost a quidditch game without you, but I think he's moved on."

"I'm glad," then she touched her arm in a comforting manner. "And you?"

"Yeah, I'm getting there," he replied with a smile. "It'll be okay, Akane."

"I'm glad." Akane whispered, "so who are they? Your soulmate?" She joked.

He offered a sheepish laugh. "Well, honestly, I'm not quite sure yet."

"What did you smell?" She let him guide her into the hall.

"Chocolate, I think, and something sweet. Dunno what, though."

"Like a cake? Cookie?"

"Some sort of baked good, yeah," Cormac shrugged. "'Spose part of the fun's figuring it out, huh?"

"Yeah," Akane extended the vowels.

"Let's go eat," he offered his arm. "I can't imagine what they must serve there, probably some fru fru shite huh?" Akane simply laughed.

As the night progressed the students were divided out equally into the four houses and as she made the ever familiar steps back to her dorm room, Akane couldn't smile at the surprise a certain Daphne Greengrass held on her face.

"Hey, Daph."

"Akane! Merlin, it's you!" Daphne smiled wide and offered her friend a hug.

Akane held her friend close, missing her roommate. "How have you been? I hear that you've figured out your soulmates," Akane waggled her brows.

Laughing, Daphne nodded. "Yeah, I suppose. It came as quite a surprise, honestly. _Both_ Weasley twins?" The blonde shook her head.

"You'll have some fun _adventures_ with those two I bet," Akane suggested.

" _Ooh,_ yes, I suppose so," Daphne agreed.

"Tell me how that goes," Akane laughed, "I bet you'd be able to use the knowledge of that _book_ huh?"

Daphne giggled. "I missed you, Akane."

"I missed you too, Daph." After a long heartfelt hug, Daph let Akane go so she could change into something more comfortable. "How were the other girls?"

"Not too bad, Pansy was the same as always," Daphne said.

"How about Blai-Zabini?" She corrected herself.

Daphne raised a brow. "Blaise showed up a few days ago, but he's been quiet. I got to see his mum, which was nice."

"How is she?"

"Gianna's great. She's very loving; you'd like her."

"What about Malfoy? How's he doing?"

"Draco's fine too, he's looking forward to break." Daphne shrugged.

"Really?" She was surprised, "I never thought he'd be the type to like the holidays?"

Daphne hummed. "Are you kidding? His family is very wealthy, he probably gets the most presents out of all of us."

"I wonder," Akane played with her non-existent beard. "He better get me something bloody wonderful then. Otherwise I'll never forgive him for leaving me to wobble on my own."

"I think he owes us _all_ something wonderful," the blond teased, then asked, "Wobble on your own? What'd he do this time?"

"Remember that day I got scolded badly by Pomfrey and you just walked in? Well we sorta escaped the wing and he left me to attempt standing on my own," She didn't add the fact of _why_ they were escaping.

"Git," Daphne snorted. "Sounds like him."

"Believe me, it is him." Akane gestured then became slightly depressed. "I have absolutely nothing now. Fucking attackers!"

"Do you know who they were?"

"Dark hoods," Akane whispered.

"Death Eaters," Daphne corrected, face darkening.

"Death Eaters?"


	59. Chapter 59: The French Trio

It was Saturday, officially marking the week and a half countdown to the start of winter break and the end of their Hogwarts era. A strange thought, but his soon-to-be reality was approaching at a faster rate than he was prepared for.

He rolled out of bed at a decent time, just moments after Draco. Blaise went about business as usual: threw on some weekend clothes, straightened his face, and shoved his wand in his pocket. Once they were all ready, Blaise followed the dynamic duo to the Great Hall.

On the way there, he noticed something odd.

Now, yeah, he'd been gone for a month, but Hogwarts suddenly felt much more congested. There were students wandering the halls that Blaise _swore_ he had never seen before. Had he been gone _that_ long? Who were these bloody kids? Half of them looked incredibly tired and somewhat battered, whispering to one another conspiratorially.

Bloody hell, what the _fuck_ did he miss?

He asked Draco and Theo.

"Blaise," Draco began. "There are _plenty_ of students I don't recognize on a daily basis. You think I care enough to remember every single sodding face that walks through these halls? No."

"Something seems off," Blaise noted.

Draco shook his head. "Don't worry about it."

Entering the Great Hall only confused Blaise further. The long tables were completely empty. No food, no drinks, no plates. Among the students in their weekend clothes and Hogwarts uniforms, there were several figures in silky blue, donning familiar hats. No, it couldn't possibly be another Triwizard Tournament, they just had one and it ended in a disaster, so _why_ were Beauxbatons students here?

Draco led them over to where Pansy and Tracey Davis were sitting. The two girls glanced up and down the Slytherin table, and Pansy's eyes narrowed. She didn't even greet the males.

"Something's up," she hissed, like it wasn't sodding _obvious._ "I don't like this."

"I don't either," Tracey shook her head. "I think something happened."

Blaise shot a glare at Draco, who shifted his gaze to the side, pretending he hadn't just fought Blaise on this moments ago.

"There are _Beauxbatons_ kids here," Pansy noted next, again: painfully obvious. "Something is definitely-" A heavily accented voice cut her off, and Pansy's gaze sharpened on the newcomer.

"Blasie," one of the French girls battered her eyelashes. "Do you remember me?"

 _Fucking hell,_ it was one of _those_ days. Yeah, Blaise remembered her. She was one of two very _friendly_ French girls Blaise got to know very well during his fourth year. Seeing her now, here of all places, simply caught him off guard. "Right, yeah."

Then another one interjected. "Why would he remember you? He would remember me the most, wouldn't you?" She licked her lips.

Shite, no, it was the blood kink girl. Blaise withheld his stiffened grimace. He could feel his friends' gazes turning to question him. "Yeah, I remember you, too."

"What about me?" The brunet French boy next to them wasn't having it. "You _simply_ couldn't forget me, could you?"

Another flashback to yet another strange experience from fourth year. Merlin, _him_ too? Blaise's one-and-only acknowledged male fling. "Y-yeah, no, I know you."

Beside him, Draco smirked, amused at Blaise's obvious discomfort.

"So who did you like the most?" The girl with the freakish fetish asked.

 _Merlin, fucking hell, who did this, who sent them here, sodding- fucking- no, bloody hell, was this an interrogation?_ As smoothly as he could, Blaise tried to recover himself. "All of you, of course, were bloody fantastic, so-"

"Akane!" The dog shouted followed by Potter and his gang.

Shite, no, _she's_ here, too? Blaise shot his gaze towards the Great Hall entrance and witnessed the Mighty Mikoshiba herself walk through the grand doors, smiling at her friends across the hall. Blaise was starting to panic. And here he thought this week and a half would be _easy._

"Who are you looking at?" The French boy turned his head. " _Her?"_

"No, _him,"_ Draco corrected, jerking his chin at Diggory. Blaise whirled around and nearly smacked the smirk off the blond's face. "A real _charmer,_ wouldn't you say?"

 _Fuck you, Drake!_

"Him?" The boy scrutinized, "he looks a lot like me."

The world was crumbling around Blaise in pieces. It would only be moments before he was standing on a single tile of this Merlin-forsaken floor, staring down into the depths of hell where Draco and the others would _burn._ "I'm not looking at _anyone,_ " Blaise shot back, averting his gaze back to the trio of French students in front of him.

"Sure," the blood fetish female drawled. "And I was born not three days ago."

Blaise deadpanned, but before he could counter her remark, Dumbledore stepped up to the podium and explained the ordeal.

Beauxbatons had been under attack, but by who, Dumbledore didn't confirm. Because of that, the French school was no longer secure, and the students would have to stay at Hogwarts until Beauxbatons was repaired and safe for return. He also declared that the students would follow the Hogwarts schedule, and he asked that Hogwarts students be "kind and courteous" in this time of hardship and help the French students adjust to the change.

"Yes Blasie," the girl continued to give him the best 'seductive' look she probably could muster. "Please be _extra_ kind and courteous."

"Y-yeah, whatever," Blaise said, thoroughly distracted. McLaggen had lied; Akane was still at Beauxbatons, and now she was _here._ She hadn't left. She was here, now, at Hogwarts, back in Slytherin, back to being herself.

That didn't change the fact she probably hated him, though.

The trio started to argue, loud enough to catch attention from other tables. "He's mine." The blood fetish girl snarled.

"What makes you think that? He and I are meant to be together!" The boy turned to him, "B and L, it's in his name!"

"Wait!" The one with the flighty brain stopped them. "We _could_ share."

"No, no, no," Blaise shook his head and held up a hand. "No one's _touching_ me."

Unhelpfully, Draco pouted and placed a hand on his shoulder. "What about _us,_ Bla-sie?" he teased, offering an _unwanted_ wink. "Don't leave me for them."

"Sod off, Drake-"

"Draco? Him too?" Theo faux gasped. "Blaise, you told us we were something _special."_

Blaise clenched his jaw and glared daggers at his two best mates. He hoped his non-verbal _shut the hell up_ made it through. The duo smirked back.

"You!?" The fetish girl almost screeched, much like a familiar Parkinson. "He's not even that good looking." Then she scrutinized Draco. "I take it back… Are you into-"

"I'm taken," Draco quickly answered, eliminating any ideas within the girl. She wilted, confused.

"I thought-"

"You can't be taken can you, Blasie?"

Again, _what in the fresh hell was all this?_ Blaise growled, irritation rising. Making sure Dumbledore was done with his lecture, Blaise stood up without a word and made way for the kitchens, not wanting to deal with _any of this_ on a bloody Saturday morning.

The French trio followed.

"I can have him today and you can have him tomorrow," the boy started delegating. "We shouldn't have any problems, he's got _plenty_ of energy."

Blaise raised both brows, eyes wide.

"What about me?" Blood fetish girl whined. "Why can't I have him now? I had him first after all! I even shared all those details with you, if it weren't for me you wouldn't even be-"

"Bella!" The daft girl shushed then giggled. "No crude language in the hallways."

"Who are you? Madam Maxime?" Bella snarled then looked to Gilbert, the male, "Can we trade? Please?"

"Absolutely not," he shook his head. "I wouldn't ever trade this fine Italian Stallion for anything else."

 _Italian Stallion?_ Shite, Blaise really screwed himself over with this one. Tuning them out, he lapped the castle, determined to abandon the chatty trio on the way to the kitchens. He was unable to do so.

Blaise couldn't help but hope Akane didn't witness any of that.


	60. Chapter 60: Nothing

_Who were they?_ Akane almost spat.

As soon as she entered the hall her friends had given her the warmest greeting she's ever had and it lifted her spirits considerably. She wasn't sure how'd they feel about seeing her again but those doubts were vanished within minutes. Even Ced decided to spin her around lightly knowing that she'd collapse into his arms in the process.

Akane filled them in on what happened and what she had done for the French kids who was sitting a few people down. She also elaborated on how they didn't have quidditch fields or even use broomsticks on any sort of common basis. Which Ron looked horrified at that prospect.

"He's mine!" Akane overheard one of the many Beauxbatons girls attempt to claim _her_ soulmate. This for some reason unleashed a sense of fury down her veins. Thoughts Akane had never thought before started to kick in and she was starting to get scared of them.

Who was she, claiming that this man was her's although he clearly didn't even look at her since she entered the room? She didn't own him, and he didn't own her. She even broke their ties with her last message that she was now deeply regretting.

"Excuse me," Akane stood up and Ginny covered for her as she left. Simply because Ginny knew about Blaise Zabini and what conspired between them.

As she walked out towards Blaise had run off to she spotted him along with the other three. She clenched her heart in pain, jealousy, and something else she didn't want to place. _Envy._ Why do they need to know such intimate details about him? It wasn't fair!

"What about me?" The girl whined. "Why can't I have him now?" And that's all Akane could hear before she had to leave. She couldn't take it, her heart couldn't take it. It hurt too much. More than Tomoda's change, more than Katsushi's betrayal and her broken bones, even more when she had to send him that note.

Akane ran. She ran to where ever she could possibly go.

Tired and exhausted by everything, she ended up collapsing at the spot where he told her to stay. To stay with him, the spot where she mentioned that she'd never leave him not unless he told her to. _But he did_. The back of her voice whispered ever to painfully.

 _Of course he did,_ Akane thought bitterly with water running down her face. _He probably didn't like me the way I started to like him. He probably only wanted to be friends. To be civil. He won't ever love me._

Although her thoughts were quite scary as she used love, she didn't have enough time to care about why she used it. If she had been completely honest from the start, then she'd probably realise sooner that she had fallen for Blaise Zabini after he spoke to her during her rough times with Cor and Ced. Every little moment pushed her closer to falling in love with him and it was all his fault. He made her fall so incredibly hard for him it even made her cry more once she's realised it.

"Why?" She whispered angrily. Angry at the fact that she fell for someone she'll never be able to have. Whatever chance she _did_ have she shot with blind eyes. What did she expect? Him to come running towards her once he saw her enter the school? Half of her hoped he would but the other half, the realistic half knew that he wouldn't.

After this was Blaise Zabini. The traffic light that couldn't figure out which color he wanted to show her. _It's probably at a permanent red now,_ Akane weeped at her prospects. She didn't know how to fix this. She couldn't fix this. There had been too many things that didn't work in their favor in order for her to even _try._

The once but insanely stupid hopeful feeling she had for him was not thoroughly crushed, if it were tangible she'd probably ground it finely for Slughorn to use in his potions labs. It held no more use to her, those shards of hope only cut her deeper and deeper. She knew about his playboy past, she even knew two of the girls but she was friends with them. Why was she feeling so defensive about these three?

She couldn't fathom why she was so jealous. _Lie._ She just knew that these three had adventures with Blaise and she quite frankly hated it. _You know why._ She just didn't understand why she was feeling this way about him. It irritated her to every extent that she didn't even know was possible.

She screamed out to the skies in pain and in equal part of agony. Not caring much for who heard her or if they even _could_ , most of the students were probably going to Hogsmeade in order to get new supplies with their parents endless bank accounts. That was another problem, everything she owned was burnt, blasted, or stolen. She had nothing but her wand, her miniature broom, and the clothing on her back. Transfiguring them won't change the cleanliness but its appearance.

Akane had nothing. Nothing to turn back to and nothing to really hope for. What was she doing? She felt just as lost as she did when Ced didn't tie up his loose ends with Chang. What was she supposed to do though? She confirmed that Blaise Zabini was her only shot at true happiness and now that bridge was burnt and the ashes blown away.

"Akane?" She heard a familiar voice call out to her. Stiffening she didn't dare to turn around, _how embarrassing._ "Akane are you alright?" It had been Cedric.

She could only nod.

"Hey," Ced sat next to her crumpled form. "What's wrong?"

He could only hear her muffled reply to which he pointed out that he couldn't hear a single thing she said.

"Ced, can you keep a secret?"

"Of course." He swore to his heart, "If you haven't noticed Akane. There's no way I'd betray you, not _ever_." Cedric still held a hint of affection.

Akane then spilt it all. What happened after she smelled the potion, who she smelled, and the events that led up to this. She even went as far as telling him the details of what happened during her MIA period, how she broke out of the hospital to even speak to Blaise knowing she'd be leaving soon. Akane's guilt and anger poured all out with her words and how she said them while Ced being Ced just comforted her.

"And I don't know what to do now," Akane cried into her transfigured uniform. "I've really set myself up for slaughter this time."

"Have you talked to him?"

"He probably wouldn't want to see me, he told me to move on Ced."

"I don't know him as well as you do, but I doubt that bloke wouldn't oppose talking to you if you approached him first. Unless he grows a pair and comes up to you," Cedric cracked a smile then he frowned. "I'm just saying, maybe it'll help?"

"How would opening old wounds help?"

"Because you're both getting closure, Akane I hate to bring this back up but when you didn't even let me get a word in after Chang it hurt." Cedric ruffled his hair, "it hurted like hell and I did everything in my power to fix it. But you wouldn't have it-"

"Ced-"

"Don't interrupt," he shushed her. "I'm not finished yet. Anyways, you never really spoke to me until Halloween, I admit it was a rough period I hope I don't have to experience any time soon. " Ced paused, "I just don't want you to give up all hope on him. Not yet at least."

"Cedric," Akane wept for him this time. "I'm so sorry-"

"Akane."

"No Ced! I was acting like a brat, I didn't even speak to you like an adult," Akane tried to wipe her never ending onslaught of tears. "What can I do-"

"Speak to him." Cedric replied firmly. "I'll shove him into a bloody classroom if I have to, but I want you two to talk it out."

"Ced," Akane whispered then tried to jest. "I don't think you'll have to lock him in a classroom with me."

"Believe me, I will. Zabini's way too stubborn," Ced scoffed. "I'd do it anyways just to show him that I'm good at planning."

"Planning?"

"He made a jab at my skills as a schemer, wait until he get's his arse stunned then tossed into a classroom. Then we'll see who's got the real lack of self awareness," Cedric scoffed. Then Akane smiled at him grateful for what he had done for her yet again.

As the duo walked back, Akane had to speak to Dumbledore or Maxime in order to make arrangements for a loan. She needed clothing and basic necessities, transfiguring things will only work for so long. But before she could, Akane was surprised by the French boy she saved and Eric waiting for her by the door.

"Akane!" Eric called out to her waving brightly but then he noted her tear stains. "What did you do, Diggory?"

"Nothing!" Ced held his hands up in the air, "I didn't do a thing, right Akane?"

"He didn't do a thing." Akane smiled, "Just a little frustrated over a few things, that's all."

"Are you sure?" Eric looked at Cedric, wearily.

"Positive." Akane nodded brightly, "I see you've made a friend." She nodded to the boy.

"Ms. Akane," he stepped up and kissed her hand. Akane would've thought this to be a romantic gesture but he was only eleven so it was deduced to cute. "My name is Leroy Montgomery, I am forever in your debt."

"Debt? You don't have to do anything Leroy," Akane fretted. "I just did what anyone should've done."

"But no one else came but you therefore, the House of Montgomery is forever in your debt. I mailed mother and father and they agree. Whatever request you may need, the House of Montgomery will supply." He stayed humble and low.

"Leroy," Akane whispered. Perhaps he could help her with her current financial crisis but before she could ask the kid walked her towards the Slytherin Common room along with Eric and Ced. It was strange to be escorted by the young man but she wasn't complaining because it was an awfully sweet gesture.

"Mother sent me money in order to procure what I needed for schooling, I can only imagine you would need the same." Leroy opened the portal with ease to reveal non-Slytherins dominating the Slytherin Common Room.

"I can't believe it, they actually have a pretty cool common room." Ron stared in awe.

"Surprise!" It was Ginny, Hermione, Harry, and Cormac in perfect sync while Ron was a tad late.

"What?" Akane's eyes widened as she saw a rack for her clothing, muggle, wizarding, and even uniforms along with books, parchment, and quills. Leroy guided her to the 'surprise' and Akane only touched the fabric so lightly that she _knew_ these were made out of very fine material. "Leroy?"

"As I said Ms. Akane," he smiled at her awe. "The House of Montgomery will supply whatever you may require. All you need to do is ask."

"You have no idea how much you've just helped me," Akane held her hands to her mouth. "I could kiss you right now."

"Hey!" Ron spoke up, "I helped too. Who do you think helped carry all of this into the snake's den-" He was shut up by Hermione slapping his head. "Bloody woman."

"Thank you," she looked to her friends. "Thank you so much."

"Hey," Ginny shrugged with a smile. "I only remembered your clothing size from Halloween,

not something too impressive. Although I was contemplating on getting you Gryffindor robes instead of Slytherin."

Akane looked towards Hermione and Harry, "I only knew that these were my favorite supplies to use, skimping on good school materials don't bode well with me."

"We just carried the stuff," Harry replied while Ron and Cormac nodded.

"Thank you, thank you all so much." She was close to tears but they were the happy kind.

"Shite!" Ced cried out rubbing the back of his head. Then suddenly the snitch she thought that was lost forever begin to hover right in front of her face.

Laughing Akane held out her palm and it landed finally content with where it lay. "I can't believe it made it all the way here."

"I did charm it to always find it's way back home," Ced continued to rub his head. "Because you're the legendary seeker of Hufflepuff, it only seemed right to have the snitch be at home with you."

"Diggory!" Ginny called out, "You sap! Why didn't you let me in on that?"

"Because-" Cedric stuttered.

As Akane's group of friends spoke and chatted, Hermione and herself levitated everything to her dorm.

"Thank you, Hermione." Akane smiled at the brunette witch.

"It's no problem, besides you helped me out with Harry. If you didn't I would've gone mad by now." She laughed then turned serious. "Now I've got a spell just for you."

"What? You were serious?"

"Of course!"

"What will it do?"

"A lot of nasty things to whomever you cast it to," Hermione then began the process of explaining what it'll do to the receiver of this hex and Akane could only shudder. A few practice swishes and latin based words later she mastered it. Hermione also gave her the counter curse for safe measures.

As the whole lot left after some time had passed, which many of her Slytherin peers stared blankly as they went to their dorms. Akane was fortunate to have such a group behind her back, but still couldn't help but feel empty a small pit of despair. As she was about to enter the stairs towards her dorm she heard the portal open, thinking it'd been Ginny forgetting her robe she turned to see someone else. Someone who was not Ginny Weasley.

"Blaise," she whispered wide eyed at the man in front of her who just so happened to be stunned. Then her eyes narrowed at the lipstick marks on the collar of his uniform, _the French trio_ she scowled. Of course, why would he wait for her? There'd be no point because _clearly_ he had moved on from whatever they had. Before rage and jealousy consumed her thoughts she turned and was about to march her way towards her room then the stoplight man gave her another yellow light. This time the yellow _yielding_ light, the one where she could turn left if she so chose to do so but she didn't.

"Stay."


	61. Chapter 61: Sodding Fool

_Why,_ oh bloody _why,_ did he doom himself?

"Stay."

What the _fuck, Blaise?_ his inner voice was screeching, sounding awfully Pansy-like. _Why did you do that?_ Speedily, he got his mouth moving to save face, ignoring her burning gaze.

"I wanted to tell you that I'm leaving," Blaise blurted, keeping his expression in check.

"Leaving?" Akane slightly turned to face him.

He nodded stiffly, still swearing at himself internally. "Yeah."

"Where?"

"The States." Blaise thought about the week and a half they had left at the school, and the week and half left they had in the presence of magic. It was scary, but… war was worse.

"Alone?"

"No, with Drake, Theo, and Pansy."

Then she actually looked at him, "is it because of the war?"

"What else?"

"I wouldn't know." She then whispered, "I barely know you."

Blaise chose not to dwell on her comment, instead taking a backwards step towards the direction of the dorms. "I suggest you leave, too."

"I was planning on it but," she looked to the side. "I don't think I can leave them."

"Them," Blaise repeated. Probably Potter and his Potty Crew. Of course she'd be on their side, he couldn't be surprised. _Just until winter break._

"I doubt that I'll live," Akane resolved.

Blaise gave her a onceover. "I doubt you'll die."

She cracked a small smile, "If I do, then that'll be a miracle. But you know as well as I do, danger seems to like me _too_ much."

"Yeah," Blaise agreed, thinking back on the _multiple_ times the girl had found herself in the Hospital Wing or in states of distress. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. It wouldn't do to think about her too much, especially now.

"Wherever you go, I hope you'll be _happy,_ " she muttered. "I'll be honest we'll most likely never speak again so I might as well say that."

The pessimistic call-out left a burn at the back of his throat and he shrugged. "Same to you, Mikoshiba." He took another step back, praying to Merlin Draco would make an appearance and get him out of this mess.

"Thanks," she shrugged nonchalantly. "Tell them I said the same thing."

"Yeah, yeah," Blaise gave a last nod and inched those final few steps to his dorm room door, effectively escaping her sight. Draco and Theo both watched as he hurried over to his belongings and quickly got ready for bed.

Draco snorted. "She's a human, too."

Blaise grumbled something that sounded like " _yeah"_ and closed the curtains around his four-poster bed, losing himself in his racing thoughts.

He shucked his shirt off to the side, groaning at the spots of red and fuchsia lipstick on his collar. Those sodding _frogs,_ chasing him nearly all over the castle and cornering him in the Charms classroom. Yeah, Blaise figured he was attractive, but _really?_

Seeing the flashes of make-up probably didn't help Akane's mood, either. _Shite._

* * *

Blaise was reluctant to go to breakfast that Sunday morning, worried about who and _what_ he'd see. As soon as he walked out of his dorm, the French trio latched onto him like leeches and immediately started yapping about the three dates Blaise was apparently attending that day. He ignored their relentless chatter, instead taking the few steps ahead to stick himself between Draco and Theo who only smirked at him unhelpfully.

The Great Hall was as crowded as usual, but this time, the tables seemed twice as long and the aisles between twice as congested. British and French students mingled over their morning meals, discussing plans for the day and hopes to visit Hogsmeade.

Blaise would _not_ be attending any dates or wandering within visible distance of Hogsmeade. No, Blaise was going to stay in the castle, shielded from the winter winds, the flirty French, and the suddenly cold aura of Akane Mikoshiba.

The three males sat down across from Pansy and Millicent, effectively moving Blaise's paparazzi down a few seats. They pouted at him, but after the first few minutes of his silence, they ended up chatting amongst themselves yet again.

"The school is too bloody crowded," Pansy whined. "I couldn't even get to a mirror in the lavatory without having to wrestle one of these Beauxbatons bints to the ground."

Draco scowled. "They're too…"

"... different," Pansy filled in. "And not the fun kind."

"How long will they be here?" Millicent asked. She glanced up and down the Great Hall to find the Beauxbatons blue rapidly multiplying like a newborn plague.

Bristling, Pansy shook her head. "I don't know, but I hope not _too_ long."

From the large window above the professors' table, owls swooped in with mail, as per usual.

"I don't like them either," Blaise agreed, glancing at the trio just in time to see Bella flash him a wink. "No, I _do not_ like them."

Theo scoffed.

"They wouldn't be so _dreadful_ if they weren't so snooty," Draco drawled.

Blaise turned to look at him, brows raised. "Snooty, huh?"

Laughing, Pansy waved a fast hand. "Draco, dear, don't you think that's a tad hypocritical?"

Theo grinned too, until an owl dropped a thick copy of the Daily Prophet on his lap. He picked it up and the color of his face washed away.

"I am _not_ -" Draco started, sneering, but Theo's tense posture caught his attention. He glanced over to his friend. "Theo?"

Eyes darkened, Theo exhaled stiffly and tossed the paper in Draco's direction. He leapt out of his seat and stormed out of the Hall without a word. Bewildered, the blond glanced down at the Daily Prophet and read the headline aloud.

"Nott Sr., released from Azkaban," Draco stated, and realization only took a second to set in. He threw down the bundle of paper on the table and charged after Theo. "Fucking hell."

Blaise observed the paper, scrutinizing the small font and only glancing at the picture of Theo's deranged father out of the corner of his eye. He passed the paper to Pansy and Millicent and stood up as well.

If Theo's father had been released- for the umpteenth time, that is- Nott Sr. would most likely return to the Nott residence, understandably. But because of that, Theo would refuse to go home, which put a wedge in their plans. Without Theo going home, he wouldn't have his items for the trip, and _with_ Theo going home, Nott Sr. wouldn't let him leave.

He picked up the pace.

Right outside the Great Hall doors, though, a determined Weaslette and Daphne stood in his way.

"Wanting a threesome?" Blaise instinctively asked, offering a forced smirk. He needed to _go,_ find Theo and be there for his friend. Draco could probably handle it, but-

"No, Blaise," Daphne shook her head. "Let's talk."

 _Merlin,_ what now? Weaslette clutched his bicep in a death grip and dragged him down the corridor, throwing him into an empty classroom. She shut the door behind her, but Daphne was still inside, arms crossed.

"What, Daph?" Blaise asked, exasperated. One thing after another, it seemed. No one was willing to give Blaise a break.

Daphne Greengrass was a very smart and very _strong_ girl. Usually passive aggressive, the eldest Greengrass sister could become incredibly terrifying when pushed past her limits. She eyed him with disapproval, lips pursed and brows furrowed, and when she opened her mouth to speak, Blaise _knew_ he was stepping on that thin, thin line.

"Blaise Zabini," she began in a moody drawl. "You've done something very wrong."

For a moment, Blaise hoped this was one of those another one of those weird sex dreams he had last year. It was not.

"You _know_ how Akane feels about you, and I know you know, so don't try to deny it." Daphne stalked back and forth in front of the classroom, clearly miffed. He resisted the urge to sit down at one of the tables like a proper student. "But you've hurt her, and I want to know _why."_

"I-"

"No," she interrupted him. "I've changed my mind. Don't tell me, tell _her."_

Blaise huffed and opened his mouth once again to speak, only to be cut off again.

"I don't really care how broody and vain you think you are, you're being a right arse, and I've had enough. I'm your friend, and I'm entitled to care about you, which I do. I know how you are and the way you think." Daphne wheeled around in her spot, meeting his eyes with a sharp glare. "But I'm Akane's friend too. I see the way you two act around each other. There's no denying the fact you two have something special, and it pains me to see you dance around each other like Pucey and his assignments."

Her point was made. Pucey loathed doing his homework.

"I can't stand to see you hurt each other any longer," Daphne concluded, voice rising in volume and passion. "As someone who struggles in the romantic field, watching two people who are obviously meant to be, not be together, is painfully agonizing! So, Blaise Zabini, I tell you this."

She paused and stepped up to him, grabbing his jaw in a vice grip and forcing him to look down at her.

" _Grow up,_ and tell the bloody girl how you feel."

Daphne glared into his eyes for a moment more before spinning on her heel and charging out the door. It slammed shut behind her, and left Blaise in silence.

He blinked.

He swallowed.

He glanced around the room in anticipation, as if expecting Astoria to jump out as well and hound him.

And finally, he sat at the front table, slumping in his seat.

He sighed.

Blaise knew he was being a sodding fool. That much had became obvious over his suspension. As much as Akane deserved better than him, it seemed destiny had declared them meant-to-be and thrown caution to the wind.

Blaise was not a good guy. Akane was more than good. She deserved the best in the world- not him, Slytherin scum in most peoples' eyes- and he couldn't give that to her.

The unresolved tension between them was painful. It was suffocating, and though it had been a bit over a day, Blaise was struggling to focus on much else other than her. Everything he did he wondered how she'd see it, and how disappointed she'd be.

He used to use winter break as an excuse, but seeing the development that had taken place regarding Theo's released criminal father and the danger he imposed, that once whimsical one-way trip to Chicago seemed like a fading pipedream.

Before Blaise could contemplate just how _doomed_ their group was going to be, how the promise of war was also a promise of death and destruction, the door flung open and Weaslette pushed in a resistant Akane, who pounded on the now shut- and probably stuck- exit.

Akane let out a loud sigh, turned around, and locked eyes with him.

All Blaise could offer was an awkward "Hi."


	62. Chapter 62: Apologies and Acceptance

Akane turned to see traffic light boy then she turned on her heel back to the door.

"Ginevra Weasley! You better open this bloody door this instant otherwise I will not be held responsible for what happens once I get out!"

"Talk to him!" Her muffled voice came through the wooden door.

"Ginevra Weasley!" Akane screamed.

Blaise watched her. "She's not gonna open the door."

"Bloody witch," Akane then turned to him. "You have your wand?"

"I think Daph snagged it before Weaslette shoved me in here."

"Oh I wish I payed attention to the bloody teachers now," Akane growled.

" _Alohomora,"_ Blaise supplied, dry.

"Ugh," Akane slumped down the door not wanting to deal with any of this. Ginny said that there'd be a surprise but she didn't expect the surprise to be a certain someone. She couldn't even look at him because of how much it hurt.

He shifted in his seat behind the first desk. "You good?"

"No," she shook her head holding it. Why was she feeling like she wanted to cry her heart out?

Blaise shifted again. He didn't sound as cold as usual. "If you don't want to talk, we don't have to."

"Is that why they locked us in here?"

"Yeah."

"Bloody Ginevra Weasley!"

He scoffed. "Blame Greengrass, too. Weaslette didn't do it alone."

"Daphne?" Akane looked at him as if he were joking.

"Yeah, _Daphne_. She yelled at me, too."

"Daphne Greengrass," Akane growled.

From outside the door, a cheery Daphne called, "Hi Akane!"

"I really hate you both right now!"

Blaise snorted.

"What?" She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Just seems a little pointless now," he noted with a shrug.

Sitting down and taking a moment for herself Akane tried her best not to cry out like a wimp. "What is?"

"Denying," Blaise said, not at all sounding like his normal self.

"Denying?"

"Yeah," Blaise nodded. "So I need to stop being an arse, and you need to calm down, and we need to talk."

"You have no idea what's been on my mind lately," she wanted to scoff at his sudden calm and take charge attitude.

He sighed. "Touche. Look, I want to be here about as much as you do."

She simply ruffled her already messy hair and looked at him expectantly.

"Fine," Blaise tried to meet her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry about." She recited her note, _Stop._

"So you _don't_ want me to apologize for being an arse? For snapping at you? For lying to you?"

"What's the use?" Her voice quivered, "You're leaving me anyways."

A heavy sigh. "I'm not so sure about that anymore."

"What happened to your plan?"

"Theo's dad got released from Azkaban."

"Why is that bad?" She didn't understand. "Isn't reuniting with a loved one a good thing?"

Blaise barked a cold laugh. "Theo's dad is mental. He doesn't love his son. If Theo didn't cast so many sodding Glamour charms, it'd be obvious."

Piecing the puzzle together, "So he's like Katsushi then?"

"Worse." Blaise nodded.

"I don't want to imagine." Akane whispered, "He won't leave the school then so you can't go. I doubt you'd leave him."

"Exactly."

"Why did they lock us here… Together?" Her curiosity couldn't be held back.

Blaise snorted. "Why do you think?"

"What is worth my thoughts?" Akane held her head, "I feel like I can't even control those."

Humming, Blaise shot his gaze off to the side. "I think I can, now."

"I'd trade you if it were possible, I _hate_ this."

"If you want to vent, I'll listen."

"I _can't_ control my thoughts, it's dominated by one person and I _can't_ control it!"

Blaise didn't say anything, waiting for her to continue.

"Its filled with him and I can't make it stop it always hurts," she didn't elaborate on who he was but she clenched her heart. "Everytime I picture it, it hurts more than anything."

His voice was tentative. "So… you hate him."

"Yes! No? I-I don't know! I wish _I_ knew but I don't. I just don't."

"Why not?"

"I don't know!" She cried feeling the frustration bubble and was ready to overflow.

Blaise hummed. "Perhaps this bloke's been a prick to you, and said some things?"

"Yes? Sort of, I just… I can't get over _that_ image," she referred to the lipstick stains.

He didn't seem to catch on. "Which image?"

"He was covered in _lipstick_ ," she growled. "I know it's not my business after what I already told him but I don't get it. I'm thinking like this but I can't stop it."

"Fucking hell, I- _he_ got ambushed by those sodding frogs, and they cornered m- _him_ after chasing him through the castle," Blaise explained, disgust in his voice.

"I don't understand though," she didn't look at him. "Why am I thinking this way? I shouldn't be! He told me to go and I did but _why_?"

Recovering from his displeasure, Blaise suggested, "Perhaps this bloke thought he was a rather awful person and didn't want to corrupt you with his list of problems and insecurities."

"Then why wouldn't he be honest with me? _I tried so hard,_ " Akane cried. "Is there something wrong with me?"

"No," Blaise was quick to reply. "There's nothing wrong with you. He, however, never properly learned how powerful honesty is."

"How would you know?" She scowled with tears running to the floor.

At the sight of tears, Blaise appeared to panic, just a bit. "Use _me_ for example. I have some very _unhelpful_ friends who prioritize other things over honesty. I don't trust people very easily, either, so being honest is… difficult."

"Then why did _he_ let me try for so long?"

"Maybe _he_ wanted to be honest with you, but couldn't get over his bloody pride to do anything about it."

"Still," Akane whispered. "It hurts more than Tomoda."

A powerful blow. Blaise couldn't find his words.

"And I thought I _loved him._ "

Blaise froze. "Him? You _loved_ him?"

"I think so."

"He's glad to hear that someone did."

"He doesn't want to even speak to me. He wouldn't even _want_ to hear me."

"Say he does," Blaise tried. "What do you want him to know?"

"How much of an arse he is, how I hated him so much for every snide comment he made, I want him to know how angry I felt when he stood there and lied. How he lied to _my_ face without a second thought. Then… Then I'd tell him how angry I am at him." She breathed, "How angry I am for not making me hate him as much. How angry I am at him for trying to help me at my weakest. How angry I am because every time I spoke to him it took forever to break through to him. How infuriated I am at him for telling me to stay, then telling me to _go_ when I just wanted to tell him how much I _loved_ him!"

Blaise took a moment to reply. "He knows he's an arse. He's sorry for making you angry, for lying, for… fuck. _I'm sorry."_

She waited, not sure if she was registering everything with the overflow of emotions coursing through her veins.

"I'm sorry for being a cunt and being infuriating. I'm not even going to try and excuse how I acted, but I _can_ admit that I was wrong. Very wrong. I'm _sorry,_ Akane. I didn't- I'm not- I didn't think _you loved me_ , I-"

"Shite," her eyes widened looking at him, realising just what exactly she had done.

He took a deep breath. "I'm really awful at this, so I'm sorry for that too."

"Fuck me," she groaned softly. "I can't believe I just did _this._ "

"It's fine," Blaise laughed a broken laugh, smiling at her like nothing was wrong. "I did some bad stuff, not you."

"No I just-just, _you_ don't even like me. I can't believe it," Akane tried to contemplate her life events until now, wondering what did she do to deserve this.

"Sorry, but I lied about that, too."

" _What?_ "

Blaise was sheepish. "Ha, yeah, uh, I didn't really want to get thrown into that whole _harem mess,_ and honestly for a while I thought you deserved better, so I just didn't say anything."

"Blaise Zabini!" She quickly stood up and marched towards him pulling his shirt down so he'd be forced to look her in the eyes. "I have half a mind of strangling you right now!"

"I'd tell you to go for it, but…" he trailed off and shrugged. "I probably deserve it, though."

"You're lucky, _buso_." Her eyes still very angry but she paused and loosened her grip. "What am I to you? I don't want a half ass excuse, Zabini."

He met her eyes. "You're important."

"So are your friends."

"I'm going to be honest for a change, Mikoshiba," Blaise started. "I don't know what you _want_ me to be, and I'm not forcing you into anything, but I'd at least like it if we _were_ friends."

" _Friends?_ " She looked at him, "After I literally confessed everything you just want to be _friends?"_

"Bloody man up, Zabini!" Ginny screamed through the door.

"I said _at least!_ " Blaise shouted back, emphasizing. "I don't want to _rush things,_ so if you're angry, we wait. I'm fine with going slow. I don't think I've ever had an actual girlfriend, so… this is new to me. We can be as much or as little as you want to be, Akane. Just say the word."

"That's the first time you said my name," she smiled softly. "But I asked what _you_ wanted to be. Not hoped to be."

"Second," he corrected, then smiled back. "I think I'd want to ask you out on a date this weekend."

"When was the first?"

"My apology." A pause. "Please tell me you were listening."

She tried to backtrack, then replied. "I think I was, but I heard the important parts." She then kissed his cheek then joked slightly, "Because I know you're such a pansy when it comes to making the first move."

"Merlin, don't compare me to her," Blaise faux groaned. "And who said anything about that?" He leaned forward and planted a kiss on her lips.

Smiling into the soft kiss she then retorted, "Then why have you been such a baby when it came to anything?" Akane then slyly escaped his grasp and walked a step back mirth evident in her whole face, "Even Ced was faster than you when it came to physical things."

"Diggory's a bloody dog," Blaise teased. "He plays a mean game of fetch, from what I've heard."

"Regardless, he was still more aggressive when it came to everything _fun_."

Blaise hummed suggestively. "Do you _want_ me to be aggressive? Or would you rather go Slytherin style, and learn how to _savor?"_

"I like a little of both," She waggled her brows. "Variety you know."

"Oh, variety is fun, but you have to be careful," Blaise reasoned. "No knives or anything."

"You would know," she snorted feeling a flare of jealousy.

"Don't fret," Blaise laughed. "I only have eyes for you, _mi amore._ "

Still somewhat unconvinced she _had_ to ask, "I wonder who else you called that."

"No one," he replied. "I'll only say it if I mean it."

"Really?" Akane raised a brow preparing to cross her arms.

"Really," Blaise nodded.

"I know that I'm not great at every language but I do know what you're calling me, and I must say that you might want to think of a different pet name," she recalled. "That _heathen_ you so call him, calls me the same thing."

"Fucking hell," Blaise deadpanned. "For real? Alrighty, princess. I guess we're sticking with the original, then."

"And here I thought you were the creative one for some reason?"

He shook his head. "Believe it or not, but all the creative ones end up in Ravenclaw. Part of the house requirement and all."

"Well then, _Anata._ " She rolled her eyes, "What does it sound like in Italian?"

" _Mia principessa,"_ Blaise replied, the words rolling off his tongue. "That's an extra few syllables, so choose wisely."

"I think it sounds rather beautiful."

He smiled at her. " _Mia principessa_ it is."

"Perfect… I should probably be more creative too huh?"

"Up to you," Blaise shrugged. "I rather like _Anata,_ but I don't have a blasted clue what it means."

"Kishi," she stated. "It means 'knight' after all you did save me a few times already."

"Cute," he teased. "I can work with that."

"I hope so, but if you want to know what _anata_ means 'you' the informal version. It's only used for people who are close to each other." Akane explained.

Blaise thought for a moment. "So why me, and not the other two?"

"You really want to know?" She decided that she was done standing alone so Akane decided to lean next to him.

"Of course."

"Well, Cedric had 'Ced' and Cormac had 'Cor.' Would you prefer to call you 'Blasie?'" She mimicked that French girl.

He deadpanned. "Merlin, no."

"I thought so," she snuggled herself into his arm. "But seriously, if they don't stop soon I'll end up transferring _again_ or something."

"I'll have Pansy take care of them or something," Blaise brushed it off. "They're bloody annoying."

"You're telling me," she scoffed. "I'll even help Parkinson."

"That's a first," Blaise snorted, then, "She's not so bad once you get to know her. On some level, buried deep down, the two of you would get along."

"I'll make that effort if you do the same with Harry," she challenged.

Blaise groaned. "If Draco didn't have such an aneurysm anytime anyone says 'Potter,' I might have already tried."

"Then Cor and Ced?" She suggested.

"Those two I can work with," Blaise nodded. "They're not _awful,_ just…"

"Just?" Akane moved so that she would be able to look at him.

"They're the _dog_ and the _heathen,_ " Blaise drawled. "Did they tell you who their soulmates were?"

"No, but isn't it really weird that you _all_ smelled lychee?"

"Lychee?" Blaise looked confused. "Is that what _that_ was?"

"Here," she dug into her pocket for the almost empty lip balm. "Smell it. Or if you'd prefer to lick your lips, both work."

He accepted the lip balm and smelled it. "Huh, yeah, that's it. So those two bastards smelled it too?"

"Yeah," she nodded then applied some to herself. "That part doesn't make sense."

"Not really, no," Blaise shook his head. "Time will tell, I guess."

"Cor's more impatient than I am," she rolled her eyes. "Like he'll wait."

"True," Blaise agreed, amused.

"I wonder if the person they like is also a foreign student?" Akane put her balm away.

"Maybe. There are a lot of people here, though."

"Don't remind me," she huffed. "I can't imagine who'll all be plotting my death now."

Blaise smirked. "What, my 'fan club'?"

"Your's and Ced's. Although I was pretty clear to everyone in the bloody building that we're only friends, I still happen to find a few jinxes in the mail." Then she sighed, "even in Beauxbatons."

"Merlin, they're hardcore." He shook his head.

"You're telling me… I wonder if I have a fan club?"

"Are _we_ not enough?"

"Just curious," she shrugged then a cocky smirk appeared. "I am of course, _the_ Akane Mikoshiba. World Record holder of Catching the Snitch."

"So you want Pucey and Weasley following you around too, huh?" He laughed. "I _knew_ you liked having that harem."

"No _way_!" Akane shook her head. "Sorry Ginny!"

"It's alright!" Her friend was still apparently listening.

"But Ron's too _Ron._ I couldn't, Adrian on the other hand isn't _as_ bad." She did a fake contemplation.

Deadpanning, Blaise added, "You haven't known him as long as I have. There was a time in his third year- my second- where I walked in on him snogging his broom."

"Wonder what he was thinking?"

"His broom, actually. He named her Stella."

Eyes wide, "Stella?"

"Yeah, don't ask me why. Bloke's _odd._ "

"Better than Katsushi though," she muttered. "I never told you who the missing fourth was, did I?"

"No, but I took a guess," Blaise supplied. "It made beating him up all the more satisfying."

Frowning slightly she somehow felt a need to justify why she even dated Tomoda in the first place, "He wasn't _all_ bad."

"You don't need to explain," Blaise jumped in, shaking his head. "I've encountered some interesting people, too. The past is the past."

"So does that mean we're an official couple now?" Akane pointed to the both of them her heart almost stopping.

Smirking, Blaise looked down at her. "Guess so. Think you can handle it, Mikoshiba?"

"Please," she waved off. "If I could handle Cor _and_ Ced, I think I'll be _just_ fine."

* * *

(A/N) And that's it, guys! That's the end! We've come a long way and we've really enjoyed writing this story! I hope you all have liked reading it just as much.

We've got an epilogue prepared that'll be posted soon. Feel free to leave comments and reviews!


	63. Epilogue: The Christmas Party

(A/N) Here it is, guys! The epilogue of the story. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

"I can't believe you two shagged in the classroom." Ginny held her head.

"Silencing charms work beautifully Gin." Akane teased, "But I bet you and Neville know that."

Ginny rolled her eyes, "We had to remember that after we almost got caught by Snape."

"Really? What were you doing?" Akane looked at her with mirth.

"I suppose it was stupid but we were in one of the closets and apparently I get really loud-"

"I wouldn't have guessed," Akane retorted.

"Hey you two," Daphne greeted, then gestured around the room. "This celebration is really something, huh?"

"Hey Daphne," Ginny waved and Akane smiled.

"I really love Christmas," Daphne smiled. "Are you planning anything for break?"

"I don't have anywhere to go," Akane shrugged then whispered. "I think Blaise's mom is going to take the both of us to visit their family in Italy."

"Not much, I have to deal with my brothers but that's about it."

"You?" Akane asked.

"Astoria and I are going with our family to our vacation home in Germany," Daphne replied. "You'll really like Gianna, Akane. And tell the twins I say hi."

Before Akane could even ask, Ginny smirked. "The twins are over there, I think they're looking for you too."

"Shite, really? Well go on then, stand in front of me!" Daphne ducked behind the two girls and peeked over Ginny's shoulder.

"Fred! George! Haul your arses over here!" Ginny jumped in the air so they couldn't miss her even if they wanted to, while Akane laughed.

" _Ginevra!"_ Daphne hissed, smacking Ginny's arm. "Rude!"

Akane held Daphne in place before she could scurry off to the next corner, "Uh-uh. Do you realise how _hard_ it was to sneak those two in this castle without one of them wanting to prank Malfoy?"

"Yeah," Ginny continued her little jump. "It was a bloody nightmare, but it's okay."

"Look!" Daphne jerked in Akane's arms, struggling to get loose. "Another person who isn't supposed to be here! Ms. Zabini, hi! Over here!"

"Yeah, no." Akane shook her head. "Blaise warned me about his mom being here, I'll see her _after_ you speak to the twins."

" _Mio bellissimo_ Daphne!" There Gianna Zabini was, hustling over to the trio of girls. "Hello, my dear!"

"Hi," one ginger popped up then another.

"My name's Fred."

"George," the other supplemented.

"You must be Daphne," both twins did a gallant yet playful gesture by kissing her hand.

"O-oh," Daphne mumbled, blushing. "Well, hello."

Gianna Zabini smiled at the scene, reminiscent of her own loves. "Daphne, it looks to me that you're building a harem."

Akane choked on her own saliva while Ginny muttered something about harems.

"Gin," Fred looked at his sister. "Why didn't you tell us about this lovely flower earlier?"

"That's not good to keep _such_ secrets from your brothers," George 'tsked.'

"I- uhm," Daphne was at a loss for words, eyes flickering between the two males. There was nowhere for her to go, and nowhere else she _wanted_ to go.

Ginny and Akane shared a small high five and then turned towards Ms. Zabini.

"Hello, my name is Akane Mikoshiba." Akane extended a hand with a smile.

Instead of taking her hand, Gianna brought Akane into a tight hug. "Oh, I know who you are! Lovely Akane, the one who brought _amore_ to _mio figlio's_ eyes-"

"Fucking hell, _mum!"_ Blaise showed up with a scowl, Draco and Theo in tow.

"Calm down, _mio figlio."_ Gianna pushed at her son. "I want to get to know this beautiful girl."

"Blaise," Akane was still in Gianna's arms. "I think she's _rather_ lovely."

"Everyone says that," Blaise drawled, and his two best mates snickered.

Gianna shushed him. " _Grazie!_ You, too, are a special girl." She pushed Akane back but clutched her arms, observing the girl.

" _Mum,_ stop-"

" _Amore_ is powerful, _mio figlio_! Appreciate it!"

Exasperated, Blaise pointed out, "You've had _seven husbands-"_

 __" _Love is fleeting! Cherish it!_ " Gianna exclaimed, glancing between Blaise and Akane, then Draco and Theo. "You two, too."

Draco and Theo tensed and glanced at each other, startled.

" _Mum-"_

"Ignore him," Gianna dismissed her son, still looking at Akane. "He's learning."

"Really?" Akane glanced at her boyfriend with a small smirk that he could only see. "I didn't know."

Blaise scowled.

"Don't scowl, it causes wrinkles," Gianna chastised, reaching over and trying to flatten her son's face. " _Mio figlio,_ you have such a _bellissimo_ smile. Use it."

Blaise pushed his mum's arms away, still frowning.

"She's right, Blaise. I told you awhile back that you do have a lovely smile… Too bad all you do is smirk," Akane added in watching with amusement.

"The smirk he gets from his father," Gianna laughed. "But _Blaise,_ smile! Lovely Akane says to smile!"

"My father?"

Gianna didn't acknowledge his question, instead turning to the two newcomers.

"Diggory," Cormac rolled his eyes. "I told you they're busy."

"But I just wanted to say hi before break," Cedric continued his strides.

"Akane's talking to… I don't know who she is. Who is she?"

"My mum," Blaise continued to scowl.

"Your mum is really beautiful," Cormac then tried to scrutinize. "Are you sure? She's _your_ mum? She doesn't look a day over twenty."

Cedric added in, "Yeah no, she's way too pretty to be your mum."

"Thanks, guys," Blaise mumbled, but it went unheard, overpowered by Gianna's exclamation.

"Sweet boys, so kind! You two are _adorabile!_ I am Blaise's mum, yes, Gianna Zabini." She laughed. "Twenty! Not quite, but _grazie._ I'm only a mere thirty-four."

"Thirty-four?" Akane looked up to the woman. "What?"

Gianna laughed, once again. "I had _Blaise_ at a very young age."

"Oh. Really? I can't believe it, what do you do?" Akane wondered about her skincare routine.

"I am a _donna_ of many talents, my lovely Akane," Gianna replied.

Blaise filled in. "She's a bartender."

"I wonder," Akane paused. "Why a bartender? You could be a model or actress if you wanted."

"So _genere!_ I am not that talented," Gianna sighed wistfully. "I do, however, like to meet-"

Blaise interrupted, "We're not talking about that right now-"

But Gianna kept going. "- many different people, and bartending lets me do that."

"I love meeting new people," Akane smiled with sparkles in her eyes. "Especially when they carry a good conversation."

"Yes, yes, conversations can be nice," Gianna smiled. "Not necessary, though."

" _Mum, I'm leaving-"_

"No, no, _mio figlio,"_ Gianna grasped his arm. "Stay and talk to your girlfriend and your array of _omosessuale_ friends."

"Blaise, what did she say?" Akane whispered.

Blaise blanched, then flashed glances at the clueless dog and heathen. "I think a lot of things suddenly make sense."

"Blaise," Akane looked towards the pair then went pale. "Kami."

Gianna let go of Akane and clapped her hands together. " _Amore_ is in the air!"

"Kami. Were they? I dated the both of them I even-" Akane was interrupted by Blaise.

"Yeah, I think they are."

"What?" Cedric asked, bewildered. No one acknowledged him.

"A mystery!" Gianna sing-songed. "How romantic!"

Pulling Blaise aside she seemed distressed, "Blaise. I _shagged_ the both of them."

"Did one of them have a weird birthmark?"

"What? No," she shook her head.

He shrugged. "Well, good for the both of them. I hope Diggory can get over himself."

"What?"

Blaise blinked. "Did I never tell you about that time in the hallway where I scared the dog?"

"Blaise!" Akane accused. "You said that you were going to do your best to be friendlier towards them."

"This was like, October, so don't even start that."

"Back to the story," Akane looked at the two and Gianna who seemed to be busy singing.

"He asked me if I liked you, and at the time I wasn't sure, so I snapped and said I liked him instead."

"Well then," Akane then asked. "Are you sure now?"

"Am I?" Blaise teased. "Diggory's a looker, you would know." A beat. "Nah, I'm sure."

"Better be," Akane rolled her eyes. "Because only good boys get Christmas presents."

"Oho," Blaise smirked. "You know, Mikoshiba, I'm not ever a _good boy."_

"You have an hour to change that, otherwise I'll have to give your present to some lucky bastard."

He scoffed and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Don't you worry, I'll redeem myself."

"I wonder how you'll do that," Akane let him pull her closer.

"Let me start now," Blaise smiled, and reached into his pocket. Out he pulled a purple box and handed it to her. "Here."

"What's this?" Akane was looking back and forth between his eyes and the box.

Blaise gestured to the box. "Open it."

She opened the box, revealing a silver necklace with a circular pendant that was embellished with precious red gems.

"Blaise," Akane looked up at him.

"It's been in my family for generations," he explained. "My mum's side, anyways."

"Blaise, this is too much." Akane shook her head, "I can't take something this precious-"

"It's yours," Blaise closed her hand around the pendant.

"Blaise, your mother-"

He suddenly looked sheepish. "It was her… idea."

"Is this a subtle way of telling me something else?" Akane wanted to lighten the mood but couldn't take her eyes away from him.

Leaning forward, Blaise whispered in her ear, " _Ti amo,_ Akane."

"Anata ni watashi no kishi o aisuru," Akane replied smiling. "Will you put this on me?"

"Of course."

"You know Blaise," she felt the pendant on her collar. "It reminds me of the red string of fate. Have you heard of it?"

"Not sure," Blaise smiled back at her. "You'll have to tell me sometime."

"Tomorrow, probably. But," she turned to kiss him square on the lips. "I think you've earned yourself a spot on the _good_ list."

Smirking, Blaise Zabini gave his girlfriend another kiss, this one on the forehead. "Is that so?"

"Did you remember where the room of requirement is?" She glanced at him with a heated look.

"Of course I do," Blaise replied, returning the gaze.

"Good, because I have a _requirement_ to ask of you."

"Can't wait." With that, the couple abandoned the Christmas party, donning matching grins for as long as they could keep them.

* * *

(A/N) _Anata ni watashi no kishi o aisuru_ is a way of saying "I love you" in Japanese.

Thank you all so much for reading our story! We have a sequel in the works so once that's done, it'll be posted. It's called _Red Strings,_ and it's a lot heavier than this story.

Let us know what you thought of Akane! We'd love to hear your opinions.

Once again, thank you for reading!

\- Nox and Indigo


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